2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Visualization of epileptogenic foci of MRI non-lesional neocortical epilepsy patients by 7T-MRI

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	17K10888
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Neurosurgery
Research Institution	Niigata University
Principal Investigator	Fujii Yukihiko 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 教授 (40283014)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	福多真史新潟大学, 脳研究所, 非常勤講師 (00361907) 大石誠新潟大学, 脳研究所, 准教授 (00422593) 松澤等新潟大学, 脳研究所, 非常勤講師 (70303170) 柿田明美新潟大学, 脳研究所, 教授 (80281012)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
Keywords	MRI陰性新皮質てんかん / ７テスラMRI / 機能的脳疾患 / 診療教育拠点
Outline of Final Research Achievements	This three-year prospective study was intended to visualize epileptogenic foci, as organic lesions, of non-lesional neocortical epilepsy patients by means of our imaging protocol including 7T-MRI and to understand the present status of these patients. However, the study was suspended for a long period because of mechanical failure of the 7T-MRI system, followed by the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Therefore, the study period was finally extended to 5 years to catch up with our study schedule. Unfortunately, although 7T-MRI studies did not restart until the end of the study due to the protracted COVID-19 situation, we could obtain the following results: our imaging protocol could potentially visualize the epileptogenic foci of non-lesional neocortical epilepsy patients and provide insights into the present status of these patients.
Free Research Field	脳神経外科
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	この成果によって「MRI陰性新皮質てんかん」の器質的焦点の確実な切除が可能となり、発作を消失させることが期待できる。延いては、それにより全国に数万人存在すると予想される「MRI陰性新皮質てんかん」患者の発作を改善し、社会復帰させることが期待できる。てんかん発作に悩まされる患者自身および社会に齎される恩恵は計り知れない。またてんかんを始めとした機能的脳疾患に関わる高度専門医療人（医師、検査技師、看護師、等の医療職）養成、先進的診療実践、原因究明・新規治療法の開発等の高度研究の遂行を可能にする教育的診療研究拠点形成に向けたプロジェクトを前進させること出来た。