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Purpose: Our purpose was to explore the relationship between cognitive impairment and neural network changes in patients newly diagnosed with self‐limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS). Methods: The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition was used to divide all SeLECTS patients into two groups: patients with full‐scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) below 80 that corresponded to cognitive impairment, and patients with FSIQ above 80 that corresponded to a normal cognitive function. The data on the resting state were recorded using magnetoencephalography. The properties of the networks were analyzed using graph theory (GT) analysis. Results: The functional connectivity (FC) of the frontal cortex in patients with FSIQ < 80 was reduced in the 12–30 Hz frequency band, and the FC of the posterior cingulate cortex was reduced in the 80–250 and 250–500 Hz frequency bands. The GT analysis showed that patients in the FSIQ < 80 group had higher strength in the 8–12 and 12–30 Hz frequency bands than those in the healthy control and FSIQ > 80 group. However, the path length was reduced in the 80–250 Hz band, and the clustering coefficient was reduced in the 12–30, 80–250, and 250–500 Hz frequency bands. Moreover, the receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that the clustering coefficient in the 12–30 and 80–250 Hz frequency bands, as well as the path length in the 80–250 Hz frequency band possessed a good discriminative ability in distinguishing the FSIQ > 80 group. Conclusions: SeLECTS patients with cognitive impairment in the early stage of the disease developed disordered networks in cognitive‐related brain regions. The clustering coefficient in the 12–30 and 80–250 Hz frequency bands as well as the path length in the 80–250 Hz frequency band might be good indicators to distinguish the cognitive impairment of SeLECTS patients at the early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to explore the pathophysiological mechanism of cognitive function changes in early untreated children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was performed in 33 children with BECTS and 18 healthy children. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition (WISC-IV) was used to divide children with BECTS into two groups. Normal cognitive function was defined as a full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) of > 80, while decreased cognitive function was defined as a FSIQ of < 80. Accumulated source imaging was used to evaluate the neuromagnetic source activity in multifrequency bands. Of the 33 patients with early untreated BECTS, a total of 17 had a FSIQ of < 80 and 16 had FSIQ of > 80. The course of epilepsy and number of seizures in the FSIQ < 80 group were higher than that in the FSIQ > 80 group. Our MEG results showed that in the 4–8 Hz frequency band, both patient groups had inactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) region compared with the healthy control group. In the 30–80 Hz frequency band, the FSIQ < 80 group showed inactivation of the PCC region compared with both the healthy control group and the FSIQ > 80 group. In the 80–250 Hz frequency band, the FSIQ < 80 group had inactivated of the medial frontal cortex (MFC) region compared with the healthy control group. In the 30–80 Hz frequency band, the strength of neuromagnetic source in patients with BECTS with FSIQ < 80 was higher than that in the FSIQ > 80 group and the healthy control group. The magnetic source inactivation of the MFC and PCC regions during the interictal time may be the reason for cognitive decline in early untreated children with BECTS. Children with BECTS with cognitive decline had a longer course of epilepsy and more seizures. The magnetic source localization in the 4–8 Hz frequency band may be a new imaging marker for the diagnosis of new BECTS. • BECTS children with cognitive decline have magnetic source inactivation. • Magnetic source localization may be a new imaging marker. • BECTS children with cognitive decline had a longer course of epilepsy and more seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]