Electrical Brain Storm

University of California researchers have created a mathematical model describing the electrical storm that rages during a brain seizure, which may eventually help neurologists better understand and treat epilepsy.

Much like a computer model can reveal more about the causes of a developing hurricane than is practical or desirable through direct observation, a computer simulation of a brain during a seizure could potentially provide a fuller picture of how and why electrical signals misfire.

Normal brain waves show up as jagged lines with no apparent pattern on an electroencephalogram.  "But in the brains of epilepsy patients, the spreading of a seizure is made manifest by strong coherent waves of electrical activity in the cortex," said Andrew Szeri, UC Berkeley professor of mechanical engineering and applied science and technology, and principal investigator of the study.

Some seizures begin in a very specific area of the brain called the "seizure focus" before spreading out, and others, particularly ones linked to genetic causes, appear to start simultaneously in various parts of the brain.

"We're trying to get to the underlying state of the brain that leads to these seizures," said Mark Kramer, a Ph.D. student in UC Berkeley's Applied Science and Technology Program and lead author of the paper. "Our hope is that the model can highlight potential areas where a seizure can be stopped."

"This model could provide insight into the pathophysiology of the spread of a seizure," said Heidi Kirsch, of UC San Francisco's Epilepsy Center.  "Further down the line, this could also help us model the impact of medications and other interventions, to theoretically test how drugs with certain mechanisms will impact the brain."

Bjorn Carey

Credit: UC Regents