We have recently been working on two epilepsy models. The first model is a mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) mouse model. We evaluated the benefits of multiparametric quantitative MRI, including both structural and perfusion data, and the benefits of GABA-edited spectroscopy, using first a single voxel, MEGA-PRESS, approach and then using spectroscopic imaging tools developed in house. These two approaches, which could be combined, could help delimit the epileptogenic area and thus improve the outcome of brain surgery in epileptic patients. The second model is a rat epilepsy-absence model, in whom we evaluated the benefit of conducting fMRI in awake animals, using a more silent, zero-echo time approach. Thereby, we could compare the brain response to visual stimuli during ictal and inter-ictal states. Altogether, preclinical MR appears as a powerful tool for characterizing the epileptogenic zone and for understanding how an epileptic seizure perturbs brain functions.
On Demand Session