Epilepsy, a disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in certain regions of the brain, leads to organizational changes that can alter brain efficiency at the level of the whole brain. This occurs across functional networks that connect different brain regions and within individual brain regions, as described in an article in Brain Connectivity.
Using data obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the brains of two groups of age- and gender-matched individuals--one group with epilepsy and one without--Jie Song, PhD and coauthors, University of Wisconsin-Madison, developed a model of the functional networks and connectivity in the resting-state brain. They found distinct patterns of brain reorganizational changes in epilepsy, with functional connections between brain networks being either increased or decreased. The authors conclude that epilepsy alters brain efficiency at the whole-brain level.