A simulation of the abnormal EEG morphology by the 3-d finite element method

It's usually called the calculation of potentials on the cortex as the forward problem in the nerve system. Nowadays, the viewpoints of the equivalent source being regarded as the electrical activity of an excitable neuron have been widely accepted. In this paper, a novel method is presented to simulate the abnormal EEG morphology such as the spikes with two phases in the 3-D solution space. The abnormal spikes often occur in the epileptic seizure. Here, the abnormal rhythm is regarded as dynamic activity of equivalent currents source and the head as a homogeneous sphere model as well as the solution space. The finite element method (FEM) is utilized with the help of the ANSYS7.0 software. It is concluded that the abnormal spikes are original from the abnormally discharge process in the brain and the interval of the spikes (IS) can be lengthened with the increasing in the concentration of the intracellular Ca²⁺([Ca²⁺]i). It can be helpful to understand the mechanism of the abnormal EEG morphology from the microcosmic viewpoints.