Preoperative mapping of the supplementary motor area in patients with brain tumor using resting-state fMRI with seed-based analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The supplementary motor area can be a critical region in the preoperative planning of patients undergoing brain tumor resection because it plays a role in both language and motor function. While primary motor regions have been successfully identified using resting-state fMRI, there is variability in the literature regarding the identification of the supplementary motor area for preoperative planning. The purpose of our study was to compare resting-state fMRI to task-based fMRI for localization of the supplementary motor area in a large cohort of patients with brain tumors presenting for preoperative brain mapping. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-six patients with brain tumors were evaluated with resting-state fMRI using seed-based analysis of hand and orofacial motor regions. Rates of supplementary motor area localization were compared with those in healthy controls and with localization results by task-based fMRI. RESULTS: Localization of the supplementary motor area using hand motor seed regions was more effective than seeding using orofacial motor regions for both patients with brain tumor (95.5% versus 34.8%, P .001) and controls (95.2% versus 45.2%, P .001). Bilateral hand motor seeding was superior to unilateral hand motor seeding in patients with brain tumor for either side (95.5% versus 75.8%/75.8% for right/left, P .001). No difference was found in the ability to identify the supplementary motor area between patients with brain tumors and controls. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to task-based fMRI, seed-based analysis of resting-state fMRI represents an equally effective method for supplementary motor area localization in patients with brain tumors, with the best results obtained with bilateral hand motor region seeding.