Toward a probabilistic definition of seizures

This writing (1) draws attention to the intricacies inherent to the pursuit of a universal seizure definition even when powerful, well-understood signal analysis methods are used to this end; (2) identifies this aim as a multi-objective optimization problem and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of adopting or rejecting a unitary seizure definition; and (3) introduces a probabilistic measure of seizure activity to manage this thorny issue. The challenges posed by the attempt to define seizures unitarily may be partly related to their fractal properties and understood through a simplistic analogy to the so-called “Richardson effect.” A revision of the time-honored conceptualization of seizures may be warranted to further advance epileptology. This article is part of a Supplemental Special Issue entitled The Future of Automated Seizure Detection and Prediction.