PLASTICITY OF LANGUAGE NETWORKS IN CHILDHOOD EPILEPSY

该子项目是利用NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为中心，不一定是研究者所在机构。本研究的首要目标是证明与局部相关的癫痫会在语言发展的关键时期导致儿童语言功能的重组。将获得儿童语言系统发育和可塑性的知识，以达到语言功能正常神经网络的中断可能归因于癫痫的程度。与急性和有限的神经元损伤（如头部创伤和中风）不同，癫痫是一种持续但阵发性神经元损伤的慢性过程。此外，可以在疾病过程开始时识别和评估患者，从而可以评估和监测神经元反应和可塑性程度。第二个目标是使用功能成像方法来识别能够维持“重组”语言功能的大脑区域。本研究的目的是确定1）慢性局限性相关癫痫儿童的语言组织是否与正常儿童不同; 2）新发局限性相关癫痫儿童的语言组织是否与正常儿童不同; 3）检查非典型语言组织的范围和位置与癫痫发作年龄之间的关系。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The overarching goal of this study is to demonstrate that localization related epilepsy causes reorganization of language function in children during periods critical for language development. Knowledge of language systems development and plasticity in children will be gained to the extent that disruptions in normal neural networks for language function may be attributable to epilepsy. Unlike acute and limited neuronal insults, such as head trauma and stroke, epilepsy is a chronic process with continuing but paroxysmal neuronal injury. Furthermore, patients may be identified and evaluated at the outset of the disease process so that the neuronal responses and degree of plasticity may be assessed and monitored. A secondary goal is to use functional imaging methods to identify the brain regions that can sustain "reorganized" language function. The objectives of this study are to determine 1) whether children with chronic localization related epilepsy have different language organization than normal children; 2) whether children with new onset localization related epilepsy have different language organization than normal children; and 3) examine the association between extent and location of atypical language organization and age of seizure onset.