MELBOURNE, April 30 (Xinhua) -- New research has found that the effects of brain surgery extend beyond the immediate site of operation, leading to changes in distant brain regions.
The findings show that the structural effects of surgery can extend further than previously thought, challenging the traditional view on how surgery affects the human brain, said a statement from Australia's Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health released Thursday.
Researchers used advanced MRI techniques and image analysis to track structural changes before and after neurosurgical procedures in epilepsy patients.
The study, published in the journal Brain, demonstrates that these brain changes occur at the endpoints of surgically disrupted pathways and onwards throughout the brain network.
"The surgical disruption of brain connections can lead to degeneration of cells at the endpoints of these connections, which then, in return, can cascade to other connected parts of the brain," said Florey PhD student Philip Pruckner, the study's lead author from the Florey Institute.
"By better tailoring neurological interventions to individual patients, surgeons can not only preserve brain tissues that does not need to be removed, but also potentially minimize network disruptions," Pruckner said.
The team developed enhanced analytical tools within the MRtrix3 software platform to detect subtle changes in brain connectivity over time. These tools are now openly available to researchers. ■