View article

Purpose: To illustrate a functional interpretation of blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) signal changes associated with generalized spike‐and‐wave discharges in patients with absence seizures and to demonstrate the reproducibility of these findings in one case.

Methods: In a 47 year‐old patient with frequent absence seizures, BOLD signal changes during generalized spike‐and‐wave discharges (GSWD) were mapped by using simultaneous and continuous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 1.5 T and 6 months later at 3 T. GSWDs were modeled as individual events and as blocks.

Results: The patient studied exhibited frequent generalized spike–wave activity with temporal properties ideal for study with EEG/fMRI. Highly reproducible GSWD‐associated fMRI signal decreases (deactivations) were seen in bilateral frontal and temporoparietal cortices and …