Brain mapping to protect language during epilepsy surgery
Functional brain mapping in pediatric neurosurgery
This project uses a new imaging and brain-signal method to find language areas in people preparing for epilepsy surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wayne State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Detroit, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11325019 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are being evaluated for epilepsy surgery, doctors would combine your MRI and brief recordings from electrodes placed on or in the brain to create a moving 3D map of how language signals travel along white-matter pathways. They will measure fast brain waves tied to language tasks and patterns associated with seizures, then animate signal flow along MRI-defined tracts to estimate which connections support speech and comprehension. The method aims to predict how removing tissue or damaging tracts might affect language after surgery, while reducing reliance on electrical stimulation that can trigger seizures. Those maps and signals would be used to guide surgical planning to try to preserve language function.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with drug-resistant epilepsy who are undergoing presurgical evaluation with intracranial electrode monitoring and are being considered for resective surgery are the best candidates.
Not a fit: Patients who are not having surgery, who cannot undergo intracranial monitoring, or whose seizures do not involve language-related brain regions are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help surgeons avoid or protect critical language pathways and lower the risk of losing language abilities after epilepsy surgery while treating seizures.
How similar studies have performed: Traditional electrical stimulation mapping and diffusion tractography have helped locate language areas but can be incomplete or provoke seizures, and combining time-locked high-gamma signals with dynamic tractography is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
Detroit, United States
- Wayne State University — Detroit, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Asano, Eishi — Wayne State University
- Study coordinator: Asano, Eishi
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.