Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering
Department
Bioengineering
First Advisor
Crystal Cooper
Second Advisor
Christos Papadelis
Third Advisor
George Alexandrakis
Fourth Advisor
Tracy Greer
Fifth Advisor
Khosrow Behbehani
Abstract
Epilepsy is increasingly recognized as a disorder not only of seizures but also of widespread network dysfunction, impacting cognitive and emotional processing. One critical cognitive process affected in epilepsy is emotional conflict processing, which relies on the interplay of multiple brain networks. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of emotional conflict processing in epilepsy, particularly in adolescents, have remained poorly understood. This dissertation investigated the neural mechanisms underlying emotional conflict processing in typically developing adolescents and adolescents with epilepsy using magnetoencephalography (MEG). The first study elucidated the spatiotemporal profile of emotional conflict processing in 24 typically developing adolescents using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Cluster-based permutation tests revealed four significant clusters (ps < .05, corrected), including early activation of the cingulate and temporal cortices, consistent with recruitment of dorsal and ventral processing streams, respectively. Subsequent late components emerged in the middle frontal and prefrontal cortices (ps < .05, corrected), associated with motor execution and post-response monitoring. Time-frequency decomposition revealed beta and gamma band event-related synchronizations and desynchronizations (ps < .05, corrected) within cingulate subregions, indicating functional specialization across its subdivisions. These results support the cingulate’s central role in emotional conflict processing and may inform future research aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment in neuropsychiatric populations. The second study examined emotional conflict processing in 28 adolescents with epilepsy compared to 25 controls using MEG. While controls exhibited behavioral interference to emotional conflict (i.e., slower response time and accuracy to trials with vs. trials without emotional conflict; ps < .05), adolescents with epilepsy failed to exhibit this normative response time pattern (ps > .05). At the neural level, adolescents with epilepsy, relative to controls, exhibit decreased activity (ps < .05, corrected) in the: (a) left postcentral and middle cingulate (500-600 ms); (b) left fusiform gyrus, hippocampus, and precuneus (600-700 ms); (c) right middle cingulate, supracallosal anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex (800-900 ms); (d) left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, supracallosal and pregenual anterior cingulate (900-1000 ms). Together, these findings suggest that adolescents with epilepsy show selective deficits in error evaluation and learning processes around the time of response, indicating disrupted higher-order cognitive functions essential for emotion regulation, while earlier emotion recognition appears intact. Additionally, regression analyses revealed that under activation in error evaluation regions (500-600 ms) predicted anxiety and depression in focal epilepsy (p < .05), while regions related to learning (600-700 ms) predicted anxiety in generalized epilepsy (p < .05), suggesting differential mechanisms of dysfunction in these subgroups. This study provides further evidence that emotional experience and processing are impacted by epilepsy and their comorbid psychiatric symptoms and should be brought into the focus of research and treatment. The third study investigated task-based functional and effective connectivity during emotional conflict processing using the data from Study 2 and graph theory analysis. Adolescents with epilepsy showed reduced dynamic connectivity (ps < .05, corrected) and lower early network efficiency (ps < .05, corrected) compared to controls. While controls exhibited task-related shifts in effective connectivity—early engagement of Default Mode and Salience networks followed by later Frontoparietal activation—those with epilepsy showed relatively static patterns, including early hyperconnectivity in control-related regions and late Salience network hyperconnectivity (ps < .05, corrected). These findings suggest that network-level dysfunction precedes long-term seizure exposure, highlighting the need for biomarker-driven approaches to improve diagnosis and treatment. Together, these studies provide novel insights into the neural dynamics of emotional conflict processing in adolescence and highlight the impact of epilepsy on cognitive and affective brain function. By identifying specific neural and network-level dysfunctions, this work advances our understanding of epilepsy’s cognitive comorbidities and offers potential targets for future interventions aimed at improving diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcomes.
Keywords
Epilepsy, Adolescence, Magnetoencephalography, Emotional conflict processing, Epilepsy comorbidities, Depression, Anxiety, Functional Connectivity, Granger Causality, Cluster Based Permutation Tests
Disciplines
Behavioral Neurobiology | Bioimaging and Biomedical Optics | Cognitive Neuroscience
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
King, Frances Kathryn E., "EMOTION PROCESSING IN ADOLESCENTS WITH EPILEPSY AND HEALTHY CONTROLS USING MULTI-MODAL NEUROIMAGING" (2025). Bioengineering Dissertations. 198.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/bioengineering_dissertations/198
Included in
Behavioral Neurobiology Commons, Bioimaging and Biomedical Optics Commons, Cognitive Neuroscience Commons
Comments
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Crystal Cooper, for her unwavering support, guidance, and encouragement throughout every stage of this journey. Her mentorship has been invaluable, and I am truly grateful for her dedication and belief in my potential.
I am also sincerely grateful to Dr. Christos Papadelis for offering me an incredible opportunity that profoundly shaped my academic and professional path. His support and vision have opened doors I never imagined and have been instrumental to my growth as a researcher.
Finally, I am profoundly thankful to my family for their constant support and belief in me. Their love and encouragement have been my foundation, and I would not have reached this milestone without them.