Poststroke Epilepsy: Thalamic Network Pathology Revealed by EEG Source Analysis.

2025, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 36-41

Dr. Simran Malia Associate Professor, Department of General Medicine, Father Colombo Institute of Medical Sciences, Telangana.

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Abstract This study investigated alterations in the intrinsic thalamic network in poststroke epilepsy (PSE) using electroencephalography (EEG) source-level analysis. A retrospective observational study, following STROBE guidelines, enrolled 39 PSE patients and 34 stroke patients without epilepsy. Resting-state EEG data underwent source localization using minimum norm imaging and standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Thalamic network functional connectivity was assessed using coherence, with nodes defined by the Talairach atlas. Graph theory analysis compared network properties between groups. EEG source-level analysis revealed significant differences in thalamic network connectivity between PSE and non-PSE patients. Specifically, modularity, a measure of network segregation, was significantly lower in PSE patients (0.038 vs. 0.106, p = 0.024) in the undirected weighted connectivity matrix. Similar differences were observed using binary undirected graphs across a fixed density range. This study demonstrates altered intrinsic thalamic network organization in PSE patients compared to stroke patients without epilepsy, as revealed by EEG source-level analysis. These network changes may contribute to PSE development.

Keywords: electroencephalography, epilepsy, stroke, thalamus, poststroke epilepsy.