Feindel Virtual Brain and Mind Lecture Series: White matter in epilepsy: Methods, implications, and its impact on cognition
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Livestreaming via Vimeo
Speaker: Luis Concha, PhD
Institute of Neurobiology, National Laboratory for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Universidad National Autónoma de México
Abstract: Several studies have used diffusion-weighted MRI as a tool to non-invasively evaluate histological characteristics of white matter and have demonstrated that patients with epilepsy have distinct patterns of abnormalities. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), despite having focal onset, shows the most profound and widely spread abnormalities that go hand-in-hand with cortical and subcortical gray matter atrophy. In this presentation I will highlight the relation between the degree and type of white matter abnormalities and how they are related to cognitive deficits seen in some patients with TLE. Key methodological aspects of diffusion MRI will be discussed in light of animal studies, with focus on how they affect the interpretation of white matter abnormalities in TLE and other neurological conditions.
Bio: I am a researcher interested in using quantitative MRI, particularly (but not limited to) diffusion-weighted MRI, for the study of neurological disorders with special interest in epilepsy. Along with great people in the lab, we try to understand what causes some specific brain lesions to be epileptogenic, how this process evolves over time, and how it affects cognitive abilities. Some of these questions can be addressed in clinical research, but when it is not possible we turn to animal models, where we have more control and are able to use other methods on top of MRI. After seven fantastic years in Canada, including two at the Montreal Neurological Institute working with Drs. Neda and Andrea Bernasconi, I joined the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2010, and started the Brain Connectivity Laboratory in 2012. Since 2014, I have led the National Laboratory for magnetic resonance imaging, which serves several research groups from all over Mexico. This has fortunately forced me to keep up with different quantitative MRI methods, and allowed me to meet and work with wonderful colleagues.
The Feindel Virtual Brain and Mind (VBM) Seminar Series will advance the vision of Dr. William Feindel (1918–2014), Former Director of the Neuro (1972–1984), to constantly bridge the clinical and research realms. The talks will highlight the latest advances and discoveries in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimaging.
Speakers will include scientists from across The Neuro, as well as colleagues and collaborators locally and from around the world. The series is intended to provide a virtual forum for scientists and trainees to continue to foster interdisciplinary exchanges on the mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of brain and cognitive disorders.
