Understanding the physical mechanism of transition to epileptic seizures

The mechanisms of generating epileptic seizures are still unknown. To identify the mechanisms that underlie the transition to seizure a combination of features that include firing rate, power spectrum and complexity measures were simultaneously analyzed. Pre-ictal periods are characterized by large fluctuations of firing rate which reflect local dysfunctional regulation of neuronal activity. This local dysfunction in neuronal activity is translated in changes of endogenous electric field within clustered regions with high frequency oscillations (HFO) that act at fundamental level of charge dynamics and lead to chaotic dynamics followed by electrical resonances. Right before the onset of seizures the presence of chaotic behavior becomes persistent and leads all types of cells to fire simultaneously and generate the transition to ictal state. The alteration in neuronal regulation and the nature of physical phenomena involved in this transition supports some models of seizure generation and rules out others.