Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, San Marco Hospital, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", Catania, Italy.
Unit of Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", Catania, Italy.
Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2022 Jun 1;23(1):3-13. doi: 10.1080/19585969.2022.2043128. eCollection 2021.
Graph theoretical studies have been designed to investigate network topologies during life. Network science and graph theory methods may contribute to a better understanding of brain function, both normal and abnormal, throughout developmental stages. The degree to which childhood epilepsies exert a significant effect on brain network organisation and cognition remains unclear. The hypothesis suggests that the formation of abnormal networks associated with epileptogenesis early in life causes a disruption in normal brain network development and cognition, reflecting abnormalities in later life. Neurological diseases with onset during critical stages of brain maturation, including childhood epilepsy, may threaten this orderly neurodevelopmental process. According to the hypothesis that the formation of abnormal networks associated with epileptogenesis in early life causes a disruption in normal brain network development, it is then mandatory to perform a proper examination of children with new-onset epilepsy early in the disease course and a deep study of their brain network organisation over time. In regards, graph theoretical analysis could add more information. In order to facilitate further development of graph theory in childhood, we performed a systematic review to describe its application in functional dynamic connectivity using electroencephalographic (EEG) analysis, focussing on paediatric epilepsy.
已设计图论研究来探究生命过程中的网络拓扑结构。网络科学和图论方法可能有助于更好地理解正常和异常发育阶段的大脑功能。儿童癫痫对大脑网络组织和认知的影响程度仍不清楚。该假说表明，与癫痫发生早期相关的异常网络的形成导致正常大脑网络发育和认知的中断，反映了后期的异常。在大脑成熟的关键阶段发病的神经疾病，包括儿童癫痫，可能会威胁到这种有序的神经发育过程。根据与癫痫发生早期相关的异常网络形成导致正常大脑网络发育中断的假说，那么必须在疾病早期对新发癫痫儿童进行适当的检查，并随着时间的推移深入研究他们的大脑网络组织。在这方面，图论分析可以提供更多信息。为了促进图论在儿童中的进一步发展，我们进行了系统综述，描述了其在使用脑电图 (EEG) 分析的功能动态连接中的应用，重点是儿科癫痫。
