Visualization of the short term maximum Lyapunov exponent topography in the epileptic brain

In this paper, a new kind of brain topography is introduced and applied to data from four patients affected by intractable epilepsy. Experience has shown that the short term maximum Lyapunov exponent (STLmax) is a robust parameter when optimized for the dynamical analysis of the electroencephalography (EEG). The objective of this work is to map the spatial distribution of STLmax over time. STLmax is estimated from segments of each channel of long term continuous scalp EEG recordings and a movie of the STLmax segment estimates is created over the head. Movies allow for a simple visualization of which electrodes are related to the highest or lowest chaoticity for the longest time. We found out that the interictal epileptiform activity is related to the highest STLmax level, whereas the focal area is related to low STLmax levels during either the interictal and preictal stages.