Open diffusion MRI and connectivity data for epilepsy and surgery: The IDEAS II release

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive open dataset of diffusion MRI data from epilepsy patients and controls, enabling advanced research on brain connectivity and surgical outcomes.

Contribution

It provides a large, processed diffusion MRI dataset with structural connectomes, addressing previous data scarcity and processing challenges in epilepsy research.

Findings

Replicated ENIGMA findings of reduced fractional anisotropy in epilepsy

Demonstrated localized abnormalities and connectivity differences in a surgical patient

Provided a valuable resource for future epilepsy connectivity studies

Abstract

Epileptic seizures are generated in cerebral networks that propagate ictal and interictal activity. The structure of cerebral networks underpinning epileptic activity can be inferred from diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI). However, publicly available DWI data in individuals with epilepsy are scarce, and processing is technically challenging due to scan-specific artifacts, limiting research progress. Here, we release raw DWI data from 216 individuals with epilepsy and 98 healthy controls. Subject identifiers align with our previous data release (IDEAS), which includes T1-weighted and FLAIR MRI, surgical details, and long-term seizure outcomes after surgery. Preprocessing reduced distortions and artifacts, while fully processed data include diffusion metric maps in native and template space. We also provide parcellated structural connectomes using multiple atlases and connectivity measures. To illustrate the utility of this IDEAS II data, we replicated ENIGMA consortium findings, observing widespread reductions of fractional anisotropy, particularly ipsilateral to the area of seizure onset. We further demonstrate localised abnormality, and network connectivity using streamline tractography in a patient who subsequently underwent temporal lobe resection. This open dataset offers a comprehensive resource to advance research on structural connectivity and surgical outcomes in epilepsy.