Comparative fMRI and MEG localization of cortical sensorimotor function: Bimodal mapping supports motor area reorganization in glioma patients

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative functional mapping in the vicinity of brain lesion is of high importance for avoiding complications in surgical management. However, space-occupying lesions may lead to functional reorganization or decreased BOLD activity.

METHODS: Therefore in 13 patients with cerebral gliomas or brain arterio-venous malformations/ hemangioma fMRI- and MEG-based cortical localizations of motor and somatosensory cortical activation pattern were compared in order to investigate their congruency.

RESULTS: Localization of cortical sensorimotor areas with fMRI and MEG showed good congruency with a mean spatial distance of around 10 mm, with differences depending on the localization method. The smallest mean differences for the centroids were found for MEF with MNE 8 mm and SEF with sLORETA 8 mm. Primary motor area (M1) reorganization was found in 5 of 12 patients in fMRI and confirmed with MEG data. In these 5 patients with M1-reorganization the distance between the border of the fMRI-based cortical M1-localization and the tumor border on T1w MR images varied between 0-4 mm, which was significant (P = 0.025) different to the distance in glioma patients without M1-reorganization (5-26 mm).

CONCLUSION: Our multimodal preoperative mapping approach combining fMRI and MEG reveals a high degree of spatial congruence and provided high evidence for the presence of motor cortex reorganization.