Involvement of the Claustrum in Human Epileptic Seizures
Iranian Journal of Child Neurology,
Vol. 20 No. 4 (2026),
1 September 2026
,
Page e3
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijcn.v20i4.47731
Abstract
Objectives:
We aimed to assess if the claustrum is involved in seizure networks in humans with epilepsy.
Materials & Methods:
We identified eight patients submitted for presurgical evaluation with stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings from the claustrum from 2016-2022. Demographic, paraclinical, and outcome data (Engel Classification) was collected from retrospective chart review. We analyzed the ictal and interictal pattern as well as high frequency oscillations (HFOs) in the claustrum.
Results:
The ictal onset zone was in the temporal lobe in 87% (n=7) of patients and the cingulate cortex in 12% (n=1). A total of 25 seizures were detected and 96% (n=24) involved the claustrum cortex. Of those seizures involving the claustrum, 88% (n=21) were involved before the rest of the electrodes. Two ictal onset patterns were identified: slow potential shift with HFOs were found in 46% (n=11) of seizures and rhythmic spikes <13 hz were found in 54% of seizures (n=13). The ictal pattern in the claustrum was synchronous with the ictal onset zone in 41% (n=10) seizures, however, in four patients with status epilepticus, the claustrum was noted to stop discharging just before ictal onset. The interictal pattern included high-amplitude slow waves with or without HFOs. HFOs were identified in the claustrum in 83% (n=20) of post-ictal periods. All patients had poor outcomes following surgical resection (Engel Class III-IV).
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that the claustrum is often involved during seizures arising from the temporal lobe and cingulate cortexes and could play a role in modulation of the epileptogenic network
- Epilepsy Stereoelectroencephalography Intracranial electrodes Epileptogenesis Epilepsy surgery High frequency oscillations
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