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Rassegna della letteratura scientifica in rivista (Literature review), 2022, ENG

Graph theory in paediatric epilepsy: A systematic review

Raffaele Falsaperla; Giovanna Vitaliti; Simona Domenica Marino; Andrea Domenico Praticò; Janette Mailo; Michela Spatuzza; Maria Roberta Cilio; Rosario Foti; Martino Ruggieri.

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. Department of Medical Sciences, Unit of Pediatrics, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. Unit of Rare Diseases of the Nervous System in Childhood, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Division of Pediatric Neurology, University of Alberta, Stollery Children's Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. National Council of Research, Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), Unit of Catania, Catania, Italy. Institute for Experimental and Clinical Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Brussels, Belgium. Department Chief of Rheumatology Unit, San Marco Hospital, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", Catania, Italy.

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.

Dialogues in clinical neuroscience (Online)