title: The role of inhibition in epileptic networks.
abstract: Inhibition plays many roles in cortical circuits, including coordination of network activity in different brain rhythms and neuronal clusters, gating of activity, gain control, and dictating the manner in which activity flows through the network. This latter is particularly relevant to epileptic states, when extreme hypersynchronous discharges can spread across cortical territories. We review these different physiological and pathological roles and discuss how inhibition can be compromised and why this predisposes the network to seizures.
authors.affiliation: *Institute of Neuroscience, Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; †Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.; ‡US Army Research Laboratory, Maryland, U.S.A.; and §Neurology Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Trevelyan
authors.forename: Sarah F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Muldoon
authors.forename: Edward M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Merricks
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Racca
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Staley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007395:Interneurons / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology