title: Epileptic transitions: model predictions and experimental validation.
abstract: The essence of epilepsy is that a patient displays (long) periods of normal EEG activity (i.e., nonepileptiform) intermingled occasionally with epileptiform paroxysmal activity. The mechanisms of transition between these two types of activity are not well understood. To provide more insight into the dynamics of the neuronal networks leading to seizure generation, the authors developed a computational model of thalamocortical circuits based on relevant patho(physiologic) data. The model exhibits bistability, i.e., it features two operational states, ictal and interictal, that coexist. The transitions between these two states occur according to a Poisson process. An alternative scenario for transitions can be a random walk of network parameters that ultimately leads to a paroxysmal discharge. Predictions of bistable computational model with experimental results from different types of epilepsy are compared.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biomedical Physics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland. suffa@fuw.edu.pl
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suffczynski
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lopes da Silva
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.forename: Demetrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Velis
authors.forename: Stiliyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalitzin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008959:Models, Neurological; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology