Volumetric gray matter findings in autonomic network regions of people with focal epilepsy.

Background And Purpose: Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies of people with focal epilepsies revealed gray matter (GM) alterations in brain regions involved in cardiorespiratory regulation, which have been linked to the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). It remains unclear whether the type and localization of epileptogenic lesions influence the occurrence of such alterations.

Methods: To test the hypothesis that VBM alterations of autonomic network regions are independent of epileptogenic lesions and that they reveal structural underpinnings of SUDEP risk, VBM was performed in 100 people with focal epilepsies without an epileptogenic lesion identifiable on MRI (mean age ± standard deviation = 35 ± 11 years, 56 female).