Impact of Interictal Epileptiform Discharges on Cognitive Control and Decision-making Processes
Abstract number :
3.097
Submission category :
11. Behavior/Neuropsychology/Language / 11A. Adult
Year :
2024
Submission ID :
52
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/9/2024 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Authors :
Presenting Author: Niloufar Shahdoust, MS – University of Utah
Rhiannon Cowan, PhD – University of Utah
Alexander Price, MS – University of Utah
Bornali Kundu, MD – University of Missouri
Tyler Davis, MD – University of Utah
John Rolston, MD, PhD – Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
SHERVIN RAHIMPOUR, MD – UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Elliot Smith, PhD – University of Utah
Rationale: Epilepsy, characterized by recurrent seizures and interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), significantly impacts cognitive functions, including decision-making and cognitive control (Engel, 1984; Reed et al., 2020; Nair et al., 2014; Henin et al., 2021; Warsi et al., 2022; Browne et al., 1974; Holmes et al., 1987; Krestel et al., 2023). This study explores the disruptive effects of IEDs on neural computations underlying cognitive control and value-based decision-making in individuals with epilepsy, using the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) as a behavioral measure.
Methods: We analyzed data from 43 participants (21 females, mean age = 36 ± 10 years) with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent invasive neuromonitoring. Participants completed an average of 233.2 ± 23.8 BART trials. Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded from 3,259 stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) and electrocorticography (ECoG) contacts across numerous brain regions relevant to cognitive control, including the anterior cingulate cortex, medial frontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, medial frontal lobe, basal ganglia, medial temporal lobe, occipital lobe, entorhinal cortex, and insula. IEDs were detected using the Inter-Percentile Range (IPR) method on recorded voltages to find trials with IEDs (Olver, 2010), followed by band-pass filtering, Hilbert transform, and peak detection to identify IED times. We assessed the influence of IEDs occurring in three time periods (pre/peri/post stimulus onset) on response times (RTs) and balloon inflation times (ITs) during BART using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and permutation tests to pinpoint brain regions where IEDs significantly impacted behavior.
Results: IEDs that occurred during three critical time windows (pre, peri, and post stimulus onset) were associated with significantly longer aggregated RTs and ITs (*p< 0.001). Our analyses showed that IEDs in the parietal, prefrontal, and thalamic regions had the most substantial effect on RTs and ITs during BART. The occurrence of IEDs disrupted decision-making computations, leading to slower responses and prolonged decision times, indicating altered risk assessment and cognitive control processes.
Behavior