Personalized characterization of corpus-callosum pathology in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy using quantitative brain relaxation atlases

Motivation: Investigate callosal integrity in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) using quantitative MRI. Goal(s): This study aims to investigate the distribution of quantitative T1 and T2 alterations in terms of z-scores in the midsagittal profile of the corpus callosum (CC) in patients with MTLE. Approach: MP2RAGE sequence for T1 relaxometry and GRAPPATINI for T2 relaxometry were acquired on 9 MTLE patients and the midsagittal distribution of z-scores was investigated. Results: Callosal alterations in MTLE were located in regions crossed by temporal and frontal fibers. Our findings support the hypothesis that MTLE-related pathophysiological changes extend beyond the temporal lobe and involve various cortical regions. Impact: This study provides first evidence of qMRI alterations in the corpus callosum of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Despite the focal nature of the syndrome, deviations from the norm included fibers connecting temporal and extratemporal cortices.