Functional MRI in children with epilepsy

Advances in brain mapping with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have opened an important window into understanding how language is organiz ed in the developing brain. Children with epilepsy, particularly those anti cipating surgical intervention, may benefit from preoperative language loca lization with fMRI, thus minimizing the risk of incurring new deficits. Cli nical applications of fMRI, however, await more information on how differen t linguistic skills are represented in the developing brain and how epilept ic lesions impact on this organization at different stages of cognitive dev elopment, This article presents some of the current methods for brain mappi ng in children as well as early results using fMRI for language mapping in pediatric epilepsy. Copyright (C) 1999 S. Karger AG, Basel.