Epilepsy

In collaboration with Miron Derchansky and Peter Carlen at the University of Toronto , we study the spatiotemporal dynamics of seizures in an in vitro model system. Using time series analysis tools developed in the lab as well as computational models of neural networks, this work is examining the role that heterogeneity in connectivity and excitability throughout the hippocampus plays in the genesis, propagation, and extinction of seizure activity.

We also investigate network dynamics and communication between two interacting networks of neurons. Through the use of computer simulations, we examine measures of phase synchrony within each network as well as between the networks to gain an understanding of the underlying dynamics. The collective signal of each network can be interpreted as an EEG recording, allowing for a comparison of this model with phase synchrony measurements currently used in seizure prediction.