Modular signatures and neural avalanches in epileptic brain networks

Abstract

Epileptic seizures are characterized by a rich dynamic spectrumconsisting of excessive, abnormal and synchronized firing of neuron ensembles. Such abnormal firing has been quantitatively characterized via power laws in neural avalanches. The term “neural avalanche” has been used to illustrate the excessivelyamplified neural firing patterns that lead to epileptic seizures. The pattern of amplified firing in neural avalanches betrays a modular signature in the spread ofactivation across cortical minicolumns. According to this modular approach of epilepsy, the excessive amplification of neural firing in a cortical minicolumn results from a defect within the “inhibitory curtain” surrounding the pyramidal cells. The functional basis of this approach provides insights into potential clinical interventions.