Emergent network topology at seizure onset in humans

Epilepsy - the world's most common serious brain disorder - is defined by recurrent unprovoked seizures that result from complex interactions between distributed neural populations. We explore some macroscopic characteristics of emergent ictal networks by considering intracranial recordings from human subjects with intractable epilepsy. For each seizure, we compute a simple measure of linear coupling between all electrode pairs (more than 2400) to define networks of interdependent electrodes during preictal and ictal time intervals. We analyze these networks by applying traditional measures from network analysis and identify statistically significant global and local changes in network topology. We find at seizure onset a diffuse breakdown in global coupling, and local changes indicative of increased throughput of specific cortical and subcortical regions. We conclude that network analysis yields measures to summarize the complicated coupling topology emergent at seizure onset. Using these measures, we can identify spatially localized brain regions that may facilitate seizures and may be potential targets for focal therapies.