Computational models in epilepsy mainly focus on describing an
manifestation associated with
epilepsy
Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...
called
seizure
A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...
s. For this purpose,
computational neuroscience
Computational neuroscience (also known as theoretical neuroscience or mathematical neuroscience) is a branch of neuroscience which employs mathematics, computer science, theoretical analysis and abstractions of the brain to understand th ...
s use
differential equations to reproduce the temporal evolution of the signals recorded experimentally. A book published in 2008, ''Computational Neuroscience in Epilepsy''. summarizes different works done up to this time. The goals of using its models are diverse, from prediction to comprehension of underlying mechanisms.
The crisis phenomenon (seizure) exists and shares certain dynamical properties across different scales and different organisms. It is possible to distinguish different approaches: the phenomenological models focus on the dynamics observed, generally reduced to few dimension it facilitates the study from the point of view of the
theory of dynamical systems and more mechanistic models that explain the biophysical interactions underlying seizures. It is also possible to use these approaches to model and analyse the interactions between different regions of the brain (In this case the notion of
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
plays an important role) and the transition to ictal state. These large-scale approaches have the advantage of being able to be related to the recordings made in humans thanks to
electroencephalography (EEG). It offers new directions for clinical research, particularly as an additional tool in the treatment of refractory epilepsy
Other approaches are to use the models to try to understand the mechanisms underlying these seizures using biophysical descriptions from the neuron scale.
This makes it possible to understand the role of homeostasis and to understand the link between physical quantities (such as the concentration of potassium for example) and the pathological dynamics observed.
This area of research has evolved rapidly in recent years and continues to show promise for our understanding and treatment of epilepsies for either for direct clinical application in the case of refractory epilepsy or fundamental research to guide experimental works.
References
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Computational biology
Epilepsy