Epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (ECTS) is the most common epilepsy syndrome in children. Language impairment has been widely investigated in patients with ECTS, but little is known about the cognitive dysfunction of processing speed and its neuroimaging mechanism.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the processing speed dysfunction in patients with ECTS, and the associated brain functional abnormality using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study prospectively enrolled ECTS patients (n = 28) from June 2019 and June 2021. Twenty age- and gender- matched healthy children and another twenty children with extracranial tumors were enrolled as controls. Patients with ECTS and healthy controls underwent neuropsychological testing and fMRI examination. In addition, ECTS patients and children with extracranial tumors underwent 18F-FDG PET examination.

Inclusion Criteria:

• (a) age between 6 and 18 years; (b) 18F-FDG PET examination more than 48 h since the last seizure, (c) no structural abnormalities associated with epilepsy detected on routine MRI

Exclusion Criteria:

• (a) any history of other neurological or psychiatric disorders; (b) pre-scan plasma glucose level > 120 mg/dl before 18F-FDG PET/CT examination;(c) any contraindications for MRI examination ; (d) head movement (translation > 3 mm or rotation > 3 degree ) during MRI examination

Pediatric patients with childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes