Soutenance de thèse Elise ROGER

The analysis and integration of multimodal data to elucidate the neural processes and networks underlying cognition and behavior are one of the main challenges of this 21st century in cognitive neuroscience. This thesis aims at identifying the typical but also atypical neurocognitive profiles (i.e. signatures embedding cognition and biomarkers) presented by patients suffering from pharmaco-resistant temporal epilepsy (TLE) in particular. More precisely and across several studies, we sought to estimate the macroscopic topology, intensity, and nature of the brain changes in patients by using different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods, involving respectively structure (diffusion MRI) and function (task and resting-state fMRI). We adopt a connectivity-based approach, enabling us to model the different information extracted from these modalities as informative networks. We link this information with neuropsychological scores and clinical data to assess neuroplasticity efficiency. To tackle neurocognitive modifications in patients we focused all through our studies on the language-and-memory functioning (Language-and-Memory Network; LMN), particularly vulnerable in the temporal lobe epilepsy affection. From that perspective, we propose a comprehensive model of the reorganization observed in these patients. Next to the identification of patterns typically observed in TLE, we also propose an investigative method to apprehend inter- and intra-individual variability. And finally, we suggest perspectives for the statistical integration of multimodal data to develop ever more detailed and integrative models. Overall, we endeavor to respond to both fundamental and clinical contemporary questions to enrich the current literature and provide new tools for tomorrow's medicine.

Encadrante :
- Directrice de thèse : Monica BACIU - Monica.Baciuuniv-grenoble-alpes.fr (Monica[dot]Baciu[at]univ-grenoble-alpes[dot]fr)

Keywords: brain connectivity, neuroimaging, epilepsy, memory, language, neuroplasticity

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