Seizure Onset Zone Identification Based on Phase-Amplitude Coupling of Interictal Electrocorticogram

Presurgical localization from interictal electrocorticogram (ECoG) and resection of seizure onset zone (SOZ) are difficult processes to achieve seizure freedom. Recently, high frequency oscillations (HFOs) have been recognized as reliable biomarkers for epilepsy surgery which has a relation with the phase of low frequency activities in ECoG. Considering the recent valid biomarker for epilepsy surgery, we hypothesize that the approach of coupling between HFOs and low frequency phases differs SOZ from non-seizure onset zone (NSOZ). This study proposes phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) method to identify SOZ by measuring whether the amplitude of HFOs is coupled with a phase at 2-34 Hz in ECoG. Besides, three machine learning models for PAC-based features are designed for SOZ detection. Four patients with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) are examined to observe efficiency. Experimental results indicate that the mode of coupling is a potential feature to detect SOZ.Clinical relevance- This suggests the PAC feature between low frequency phase and HFO amplitude may be used as a candidate biomarker to detect SOZ.