Artifacts caused by head motion are a substantial source of error in fMRI that limits its use in neuroscience research and clinical settings. Real-time scan-plane correction by optical tracking has been shown to correct slice misalignment and non-linear spin-history artifacts, however residual artifacts due to dynamic magnetic field non-uniformity may remain in the data. A recently developed correction technique, PLACE, can correct for absolute geometric distortion using the complex image data from two EPI images, with slightly shifted k-space trajectories. We present a correction approach that integrates PLACE into a real-time scan-plane update system by optical tracking, applied to a tissue-equivalent phantom undergoing complex motion and an fMRI finger tapping experiment with overt head motion to induce dynamic field non-uniformity. Experiments suggest that including volume by volume geometric distortion correction by PLACE can suppress dynamic geometric distortion artifacts in a phantom and in vivo and provide more robust activation maps.

Artifacts caused by head motion are a substantial source of error in fMRI that limits its use in neuroscience research and clinical settings. Real-time scan-plane correction by optical tracking has been shown to correct slice misalignment and non-linear spin-history artifacts, however residual artifacts due to dynamic magnetic field non-uniformity may remain in the data. A recently developed correction technique, PLACE, can correct for absolute geometric distortion using the complex image data from two EPI images, with slightly shifted k-space trajectories. We present a correction approach that integrates PLACE into a real-time scan-plane update system by optical tracking, applied to a tissue-equivalent phantom undergoing complex motion and an fMRI finger tapping experiment with overt head motion to induce dynamic field non-uniformity. Experiments suggest that including volume by volume geometric distortion correction by PLACE can suppress dynamic geometric distortion artifacts in a phantom and in vivo and provide more robust activation maps.

Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif de développer les méthodes originales pour l'analyse quantitative des images de Tissue Microarrays (TMAs) acquises en fluorescence par des scanners dédiés. Nous avons proposé des contributions en traitement d'images portant sur la segmentation des objets d'intérêts (i.e. des échantillons de tissus sur la lame de TMA scannée), la correction des artefacts d'acquisition liés aux scanners en question ainsi que l'amélioration de la résolution spatiale des images acquises en tenant compte des modalités d'acquisition (imagerie en fluorescence) et la conception des scanners. Les développements permettent d'envisager une nouvelle plateforme d'analyse de TMAs automatisée, qui représente aujourd'hui une forte demande dans la recherche contre les cancers. Les TMAs (ou “puces à tissus”) sont les lames histologiques sur lesquelles de nombreux échantillons tissulaires venant de différents donneurs sont déposés selon une structure de grille afin de faciliter leur identification. Pour pouvoir établir le lien entre chaque échantillon et ses données cliniques correspondantes, on s'intéresse non seulement à segmenter ces échantillons mais encore à retrouver leur position théorique (les indices de ligne et de colonne) sur la grille TMA car cette dernière est souvent très déformée pendant la fabrication des lames. Au lieu de calculer directement les indices de ligne et de colonne (des échantillons), nous avons reformulé ce problème comme un problème d'estimation de la déformation de la grille de TMA théorique à partir du résultat de segmentation en utilisant l'interpolation par splines ''plaques minces''. Nous avons combiné les ondelettes et un modèle d'ellipses paramétriques pour éliminer les fausses alarmes, donc améliorer les résultats de segmentation. Selon la conception des scanners, les images sont acquises pixel par pixel le long de chaque ligne, avec un change de direction lors du balayage entre les deux lignes. Un problème fréquent est le mauvais positionnement des pixels dû à la mauvaise synchronisation des modules mécaniques et électroniques. Nous avons donc proposé une méthode variationnelle pour la correction de ces artefacts en estimant le décalage entre les pixels sur les lignes consécutives. Cette méthode, inspirée du calcul du flot optique, consiste à estimer un champ de vecteurs en minimisant une fonction d'énergie composée d'un terme d'attache aux données non convexe et d'un terme de régularisation convexe. La relaxation quadratique est ainsi utilisée pour découpler le problème original en deux sous-problèmes plus simples à résoudre. Enfin, pour améliorer la résolution spatiale des images acquises qui dépend de la PSF (point spread function) elle-même variant selon le faisceau laser d'excitation, nous avons introduit une méthode de déconvolution d'images en considérant une famille de régulariseurs convexes. Les régulariseurs considérés sont généralisés du concept de la variation parcimonieuses (Sparse Variation) combinant la norme L1 de l'image et la variation totale (Total Variation) pour rehausser les pixels dont l'intensité et le gradient sont non-nuls. Les expériences montrent que l'utilisation de cette régularisation produit des résultats déconvolution d'images très satisfaisants en comparaison avec d'autres approches telles que la variation totale ou la norme de Schatten de la matrice Hessienne. / This thesis aims at developing dedicated methods for quantitative analysis of Tissue Microarray (TMA) images acquired by fluorescence scanners. We addressed there issues in biomedical image processing, including segmentation of objects of interest (i.e. tissue samples), correction of acquisition artifacts during scanning process and improvement of acquired image resolution while taking into account imaging modality and scanner design. The developed algorithms allow to envisage a novel automated platform for TMA analysis, which is highly required in cancer research nowadays. On a TMA slide, multiple tissue samples which are collected from different donors are assembled according to a grid structure to facilitate their identification. In order to establish the link between each sample and its corresponding clinical data, we are not only interested in the localization of these samples but also in the computation of their array (row and column) coordinates according to the design grid because the latter is often very deformed during the manufacturing of TMA slides. However, instead of directly computing array coordinates as existing approach, we proposed to reformulate this problem as the approximation of the deformation of the theoretical TMA grid using “thin plate splines” given the result of tissue sample localization. We combined a wavelet-based detection and a ellipse-based segmentation to eliminate false alarms and thus improving the localization result of tissue samples. According to the scanner design, images are acquired pixel by pixel along each line, with a change of scan direction between two subsequent lines. Such scanning system often suffers from pixel mis-positioning (jitter) due to imperfect synchronization of mechanical and electronic components. To correct these scanning artifacts, we proposed a variational method based on the estimation of pixel displacements on subsequent lines. This method, inspired from optical flow methods, consists in estimating a dense displacement field by minimizing an energy function composed of a nonconvex data fidelity term and a convex regularization term. We used half-quadratic splitting technique to decouple the original problem into two small sub-problems: one is convex and can be solved by standard optimization algorithm, the other is non-convex but can be solved by a complete search. To improve the resolution of acquired fluorescence images, we introduced a method of image deconvolution by considering a family of convex regularizers. The considered regularizers are generalized from the concept of Sparse Variation which combines the L1 norm and Total Variation (TV) to favors the co-localization of high-intensity pixels and high-magnitude gradient. The experiments showed that the proposed regularization approach produces competitive deconvolution results on fluorescence images, compared to those obtained with other approaches such as TV or the Schatten norm of Hessian matrix.

No description available.

In the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) are used temporal series that contains the distances between successive heartbeats in order to assess autonomic regulation of the cardiovascular system. These series are obtained from the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal analysis, which can be affected by different types of artifacts leading to incorrect interpretations in the analysis of the HRV signals. Classic approach to deal with these artifacts implies the use of correction methods, some of them based on interpolation, substitution or statistical techniques. However, there are few studies that shows the accuracy and performance of these correction methods on real HRV signals. This study aims to determine the performance of some linear and non-linear correction methods on HRV signals with induced artefacts by quantification of its linear and nonlinear HRV parameters. As part of the methodology, ECG signals of rats measured using the technique of telemetry were used to generate real heart rate variability signals without any error. In these series were simulated missing points (beats) in different quantities in order to emulate a real experimental situation as accurately as possible. In order to compare recovering efficiency, deletion (DEL), linear interpolation (LI), cubic spline interpolation (CI), moving average window (MAW) and nonlinear predictive interpolation (NPI) were used as correction methods for the series with induced artifacts. The accuracy of each correction method was known through the results obtained after the measurement of the mean value of the series (AVNN), standard deviation (SDNN), root mean square error of the differences between successive heartbeats (RMSSD), Lomb\'s periodogram (LSP), Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), multiscale entropy (MSE) and symbolic dynamics (SD) on each HRV signal with and without artifacts. The results show that, at low levels of missing points the performance of all correction techniques are very similar with very close values for each HRV parameter. However, at higher levels of losses only the NPI method allows to obtain HRV parameters with low error values and low quantity of significant differences in comparison to the values calculated for the same signals without the presence of missing points. / Na análise da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca (Heart Rate Variability - HRV) são usadas séries temporais que contém as distancias entre batimentos cardíacos sucessivos, com o m de avaliar a regulação autonômica do sistema cardiovascular. Estas séries são obtidas a partir da análise de sinais de eletrocardiograma (ECG), as quais podem ser afetados por distintos tipos de artefatos, levando a interpretações incorretas nas análises feitas sob as séries da HRV. Abordagem clássica para lidar com esses artefatos implica a utilização de métodos de correção, alguns deles com base na interpolação, substituição ou técnicas estatísticas. No entanto, existem poucos estudos que mostram a precisão e desempenho destes métodos de correção em sinais reais da HRV. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo determinar cómo os diferentes níveis de artefatos presentes no sinal afetam as caraterísticas da mesma, utilizando-se diferentes métodos lineares e não lineares de correção e posteriormente quanticação dos parâmetros da HRV. Como parte da metodología utilizada, sinais ECG de ratos obtidas mediante a técnica da telemetria foram usadas para gerar séries de HRV reais sem nenhum tipo de erro. Nestas séries foram simulados batimentos perdidos para diferentes taxas de pontos a m de emular a situação real com a maior precisão possível. Adicionalmente, foram aplicados os métodos de eliminação de segmentos (DEL), interpolação linear (LI) e cúbica (CI), janela de média móvel (MAW) e interpolação preditiva não lineal (NPI) como métodos de correção dos artefatos simulados sob as séries com erros. A precisão de cada método de correção foi conhecida através dos resultados obtidos com a quanticação do valor médio da série (AVNN), desvio padrão (SDNN), erro quadrático médio das diferenças entre batimentos sucessivos (RMSSD), periodograma de Lomb (LSP), análise de flutuações destendenciadas (DFA), entropia multiescala (MSE) e dinâmica simbólica (SD) sob cada sinal de HRV com e sem erros. Os resultados obtidos mostram que para baixos níveis de perdas de batimentos o desempenho das técnicas de correção é similar, com valores muito semelhantes para cada parámetro quanticado da HRV. Não obstante, em níveis de perdas maiores só NPI permite obter valores muito próximos e sem muitas diferenças signicativas para os mesmos parâmetros da HRV, em comparação com os valores calculados para as séries sem perdas.

In the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) are used temporal series that contains the distances between successive heartbeats in order to assess autonomic regulation of the cardiovascular system. These series are obtained from the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal analysis, which can be affected by different types of artifacts leading to incorrect interpretations in the analysis of the HRV signals. Classic approach to deal with these artifacts implies the use of correction methods, some of them based on interpolation, substitution or statistical techniques. However, there are few studies that shows the accuracy and performance of these correction methods on real HRV signals. This study aims to determine the performance of some linear and non-linear correction methods on HRV signals with induced artefacts by quantification of its linear and nonlinear HRV parameters. As part of the methodology, ECG signals of rats measured using the technique of telemetry were used to generate real heart rate variability signals without any error. In these series were simulated missing points (beats) in different quantities in order to emulate a real experimental situation as accurately as possible. In order to compare recovering efficiency, deletion (DEL), linear interpolation (LI), cubic spline interpolation (CI), moving average window (MAW) and nonlinear predictive interpolation (NPI) were used as correction methods for the series with induced artifacts. The accuracy of each correction method was known through the results obtained after the measurement of the mean value of the series (AVNN), standard deviation (SDNN), root mean square error of the differences between successive heartbeats (RMSSD), Lomb\'s periodogram (LSP), Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), multiscale entropy (MSE) and symbolic dynamics (SD) on each HRV signal with and without artifacts. The results show that, at low levels of missing points the performance of all correction techniques are very similar with very close values for each HRV parameter. However, at higher levels of losses only the NPI method allows to obtain HRV parameters with low error values and low quantity of significant differences in comparison to the values calculated for the same signals without the presence of missing points. / Na análise da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca (Heart Rate Variability - HRV) são usadas séries temporais que contém as distancias entre batimentos cardíacos sucessivos, com o m de avaliar a regulação autonômica do sistema cardiovascular. Estas séries são obtidas a partir da análise de sinais de eletrocardiograma (ECG), as quais podem ser afetados por distintos tipos de artefatos, levando a interpretações incorretas nas análises feitas sob as séries da HRV. Abordagem clássica para lidar com esses artefatos implica a utilização de métodos de correção, alguns deles com base na interpolação, substituição ou técnicas estatísticas. No entanto, existem poucos estudos que mostram a precisão e desempenho destes métodos de correção em sinais reais da HRV. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo determinar cómo os diferentes níveis de artefatos presentes no sinal afetam as caraterísticas da mesma, utilizando-se diferentes métodos lineares e não lineares de correção e posteriormente quanticação dos parâmetros da HRV. Como parte da metodología utilizada, sinais ECG de ratos obtidas mediante a técnica da telemetria foram usadas para gerar séries de HRV reais sem nenhum tipo de erro. Nestas séries foram simulados batimentos perdidos para diferentes taxas de pontos a m de emular a situação real com a maior precisão possível. Adicionalmente, foram aplicados os métodos de eliminação de segmentos (DEL), interpolação linear (LI) e cúbica (CI), janela de média móvel (MAW) e interpolação preditiva não lineal (NPI) como métodos de correção dos artefatos simulados sob as séries com erros. A precisão de cada método de correção foi conhecida através dos resultados obtidos com a quanticação do valor médio da série (AVNN), desvio padrão (SDNN), erro quadrático médio das diferenças entre batimentos sucessivos (RMSSD), periodograma de Lomb (LSP), análise de flutuações destendenciadas (DFA), entropia multiescala (MSE) e dinâmica simbólica (SD) sob cada sinal de HRV com e sem erros. Os resultados obtidos mostram que para baixos níveis de perdas de batimentos o desempenho das técnicas de correção é similar, com valores muito semelhantes para cada parámetro quanticado da HRV. Não obstante, em níveis de perdas maiores só NPI permite obter valores muito próximos e sem muitas diferenças signicativas para os mesmos parâmetros da HRV, em comparação com os valores calculados para as séries sem perdas.

Das visuelle System erreicht enorme Verarbeitungsmengen, wenn wir unsere Augen auf ein Objekt richten. Mehrere Prozesse sind aktiv bevor unser Blick das neue Objekt erreicht. Diese Arbeit erforscht die räumlichen und zeitlichen Eigenschaften drei solcher Prozesse: 1. aufmerksamkeitsbedingte Steigerung der neuronalen Aktivität und sakkadische Suppression; 2. aufmerksamkeitsbasierte Auswahl des Zielreizes bei einer visuellen Suchaufgabe; 3. zeitliche Entwicklung der Detektiongenauigkeit bei der Objekt-Substitutionsmaskierung. Wir untersuchten diese Prozesse mit einer Kombination aus humaner Elektroenzephalografie (EEG), eye tracking und psychophysischen Verhaltensmessungen. Zuerst untersuchten wir, wie die neuronale Repräsentation eines Reizes von seiner zeitlichen Nähe zur Sakkade geprägt wird. Wir zeigten, dass direkt vor der Sakkade erscheinende Reize am meisten durch Aufmerksamkeit und Suppression geprägt sind. In Studie 2 wurde die Sichtbarkeit des Reizes mit der Objekt-Substitutionsmaskierung verringert, und wir analysierten das Verhältnis zwischen sakkadischen Reaktionszeiten und ihrer Genauigkeit. Dazu erfassten wir neuronale Marker der Aufmerksamkeitslenkung zum Zielreiz und eine subjektive Bewertung seiner Wahrnehmbarkeit. Wir stellten fest, dass schnelle Sakkaden der Maskierung entgingen und Genauigkeit sowie subjektive Wahrnehmbarkeit erhöhten. Dies zeigt, dass bereits in frühen Verarbeitungsstadien eine bewusste und korrekte Wahrnehmung des Reizes entstehen kann. Wir replizierten diesen Befund für manuelle Antworten, um eine Verfälschung der Ergebnisse durch sakkadenspezifische Prozesse auszuschließen. Neben ihrer theoretischen Bedeutung liefern diese Studien einen methodischen Beitrag zum Forschungsgebiet der EEG-Augenbewegung: Entfernung sakkadischer Artefakte aus dem EEG bzw. Erstellung eines künstlichen Vergleichsdatensatzes. Die Arbeit stellt mehrere Ansätze zur Untersuchung der Dynamik visueller Wahrnehmung sowie Lösungen für zukünftige Studien dar. / The visual system achieves a tremendous amount of processing as soon as we set eyes on a new object. Numerous processes are active already before eyes reach the object. This thesis explores the spatio-temporal properties of three such processes: attentional enhancement and saccadic suppression that accompany saccades to target; attentional selection of target in a visual search task; the timecourse of target detection accuracy under object-substitution masking. We monitored these events using a combination of human electrophysiology (EEG), eye tracking and behavioral psychophysics. We first studied how the neural representation of a visual stimulus is affected by its temporal proximity to saccade onset. We show that stimuli immediately preceding a saccade show strongest effects of attentional enhancement and saccadic suppression. Second, using object-substitution masking to reduce visibility, we analyzed the relationship between saccadic reaction times and response accuracy. We also collected subjective visibility ratings and observed neural markers of attentional selection, such as the negative, posterior-contralateral deflection at 200 ms (N2pc). We found that fast saccades escaped the effects of masking, resulted in higher response accuracy and higher awareness ratings. This indicates that early visual processing can trigger awareness and correct behavior. Finally, we replicated this finding with manual responses. Discovering a similar accuracy timecourse in a different modality ruled out saccade-specific mechanisms, such as saccadic suppression and retinal shift, as a potential confound. Next to their theoretical impact, all studies make a methodological contribution to EEG-eye movement research, such as removal of large-scale saccadic artifacts from EEG data and composition of matched surrogate data. In sum, this work uses multiple approaches to describe the dynamics of visual perisaccadic perception and offers solutions for future studies in this field.

Thèse de doctorat présentée en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie (Ph.D). / L'enfance et l'adolescence sont des périodes uniques de la vie où les changements neuronaux favorisent l'établissement de réseaux cérébraux matures et le développement des capacités intellectuelles. Le langage est un domaine cognitif qui est, non seulement essentiel pour la communication interhumaine, mais qui contribue également au développement de nombreuse capacités et prédit de manière significative la réussite académique. Les régions cérébrales frontotemporales sont des régions clés du réseau langagier du cerveau. Il a été démontré que les neuropathologies telles que l'épilepsie des lobes frontal et temporal (ELF et ELT) interfèrent avec le développement des réseaux cérébraux du langage et provoquent des circuits cérébraux aberrants. Les patrons exacts de réorganisation des réseaux cérébraux fonctionnels ne sont toutefois, pas entièrement compris et l'association avec le profil neuropsychologique reste spéculative. Par conséquent, l'objectif principal de cette thèse est d'accroître la compréhension des altérations du réseau langagier et d'améliorer les connaissances de l'association de l'architecture du réseau et des capacités cognitives chez les enfants et les adolescents avec ELF ou ELT. La présente thèse est composée de trois articles scientifiques, les deux premiers présentant des travaux méthodologiques qui ont permis d'optimiser les méthodes appliquées dans le troisième article, l'étude empirique principale menée auprès d'enfants avec ELF et ELT. Le premier article présente le bilan neuropsychologique pédiatrique comme un outil important pour estimer les capacités cognitives et dresser un profil cognitif avec ses forces et ses faiblesses. Dans le deuxième article, l'analyse factorielle parallèle (PARAFAC) est présentée et validée comme une nouvelle technique employée pour corriger les artefacts de mouvement qui contaminent le signal hémodynamique évalué par la spectroscopie fonctionnelle proche infrarouge (fNIRS). Une meilleure qualité du signal permet une interprétation fiable de la réponse cérébrale en plis de déduire des métriques d'organisation du réseau cérébral. Le troisième article consiste en une étude empirique, où le traitement cérébral du langage, est comparé entre des enfants avec ELF et ELT, et des pairs neuroptypiques. Les schémas de connectivité fonctionnelle indiquent que le groupe de patients présente moins de connexions intra-hémisphériques dans l'hémisphère gauche et entre les hémisphères, et des connexions accrues dans l'hémisphère droit par rapport au groupe témoin. Les mesures de l'architecture du réseau révèlent en outre une efficacité de traitement local plus élevée dans l'hémisphère droit chez les enfants atteints de ELF et ELT par rapport aux enfants en bonne santé. L'architecture du réseau local de l'hémisphère gauche et la capacité intellectuelle globale dans le groupe de patients sont négativement liées, tandis que dans le groupe contrôle, aucune association de ce type n'est identifiable. Ces résultats suggèrent que la réorganisation du réseau de langage chez les enfants avec ELF ou ELT semble dans certains cas soutenir un meilleur résultat cognitif, soit lorsque l'efficacité du traitement local dans l'hémisphère gauche est diminuée. Au contraire, une plus grande efficacité de traitement local semble être une caractéristique d'un réseau de langage cérébral associé à de moins bonnes capacités cognitives. Les travaux de recherche de cette thèse de doctorat fournissent des lignes directrices pour l'utilisation de l'évaluation neuropsychologique pédiatrique, à la fois dans un contexte clinique et scientifique. L'introduction de PARAFAC pour corriger les artefacts de mouvement dans le signal fNIRS est un ajout important au pipeline de prétraitement qui permet d'augmenter la qualité du signal pour une analyse ultérieure. De futurs projets pourront s'appuyer sur cette validation initiale et étendre l'utilisation de PARAFAC pour les analyses du signal fNIRS. Sur cette base méthodologique solide, le travail empirique confirme l'incidence accrue de circuits cérébraux aberrants liés au traitement du langage chez les enfants atteints de ELF et de ELT, et soutient en outre l'efficacité du réseau local en tant que déterminant clé de l'impact de la plasticité cérébrale précoce sur les capacités cognitives. Afin de mieux comprendre les altérations du réseau en réponse aux neuropathologies et leur impact, des études avec des échantillons plus grands et de différents groupes d'âge, devraient étudier plus spécifiquement le rôle des facteurs cliniques (e.g., le type d'épilepsie, la latéralisation de l'épilepsie, le contrôle des crises, etc.) et aborder leurs influences sur le développement. À long terme, cela augmentera le pronostic des phénotypes cliniques chez les patients pédiatriques atteints de ELF et de ELT, et offrira des opportunités d'interventions précoces pour soutenir un développement typique. / Childhood and adolescence are unique periods in life where neuronal changes support the establishment of mature brain networks and the development of intellectual capacities. Language is one cognitive domain that is not only an essential part of inter-human communication but also contributes to the development of other capacities and significantly influences academic achievement. Frontotemporal brain areas are key regions of the brain's language network. Neuropathologies such as frontal and temporal lobe epilepsies (FLE and TLE) have been shown to interfere with developing brain language networks and cause aberrant cerebral circuits. The exact patterns of functional brain network reorganization are not fully understood and the association with the neuropsychological profile remains speculative. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis was to increase comprehension of language network alterations and enhance the knowledge on the association of network topology and cognitive capacities in children and adolescents with FLE or TLE. This thesis consists of three scientific articles, with the first two presenting methodological work that allowed for the optimization of the methods applied in the third article, which is the main empirical study conducted on children with FLE and TLE. The first article presents the pediatric neuropsychological assessment as a valuable tool to estimate cognitive capacities and draw a cognitive profile with strengths and weaknesses. In the second article, parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) is presented and validated as a novel technique to correct motion artifacts that contaminate the hemodynamic signal assessed with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). A better signal quality is the basis for a reliable interpretation of the cerebral response and derive metrics of brain network organization. The third article consists of an empirical study where cerebral language processing is compared between children with FLE and TLE, and neuroptypical peers. Patterns of functional connectivity indicate that the patient group demonstrates fewer intra-hemispheric connections in the left hemisphere and between hemispheres, and increased connections within the right hemisphere as compared to the control group. Metrics of network architecture further reveal a higher local processing efficiency within the right hemisphere in children with FLE and TLE compared to healthy peers. Local network architecture of the left hemisphere and the overall intellectual capacity in the patient group is negatively related, while in the control group no such association is identifiable. These findings suggest that language network reorganization in children with FLE or TLE in some cases seems to support a better cognitive outcome, namely when local processing efficiency in the left hemisphere is decreased. On the contrary, a higher local processing efficiency seems to be a characteristic of a brain language network that goes along with worse cognitive capacities. The research work of this doctoral thesis provides guidelines for the use of pediatric neuropsychological assessment both in a clinical and scientific context. The introduction of PARAFAC to correct motion artifact in the fNIRS signal is an important add-on to the preprocessing pipeline that allows to increase signal quality for subsequent analysis. Future projects will be able to build on this initial validation and extend PARAFAC's use for fNIRS analysis. On this solid methodological foundation, the empirical work confirms the increased incidence of aberrant brain circuits related to language processing in children with FLE and TLE, and further supports local network efficiency as a key determinant of the impact of early brain plasticity on cognitive capacities. In order to further understand network alterations in response to neuropathologies and their impact, studies with larger samples sizes and different age groups should further investigate the specific role of clinical factors (e.g., epilepsy type, epilepsy lateralization, seizure control, etc.) and address developmental influences. Ultimately, this will increase prognosis of clinical phenotypes in pediatric patients with FLE and TLE, and offer opportunities for early interventions to support a healthy development.