Methods of automated absence seizure detection, interference by stimulation, and possibilities for prediction in genetic absence models

- The detection of spike-wave discharges in the rodents ECoG can be automated with high sensitivity and specificity.
- The real-time early detection of spike-wave discharges with continuous wavelet transform of rodents ECoG is feasible.
- Spike-wave discharges can be aborted with various forms of stimulation.
- Spike-wave discharges are preceded by precursor activity, allowing SWD prediction, and control.

BackgroundGenetic rat models for childhood absence epilepsy have become instrumental in developing theories on the origin of absence epilepsy, the evaluation of new and experimental treatments, as well as in developing new methods for automatic seizure detection, prediction, and/or interference of seizures.MethodVarious methods for automated off and on-line analyses of ECoG in rodent models are reviewed, as well as data on how to interfere with the spike-wave discharges by different types of invasive and non-invasive electrical, magnetic, and optical brain stimulation. Also a new method for seizure prediction is proposed.ResultsMany selective and specific methods for off- and on-line spike-wave discharge detection seem excellent, with possibilities to overcome the issue of individual differences. Moreover, electrical deep brain stimulation is rather effective in interrupting ongoing spike-wave discharges with low stimulation intensity. A network based method is proposed for absence seizures prediction with a high sensitivity but a low selectivity. Solutions that prevent false alarms, integrated in a closed loop brain stimulation system open the ways for experimental seizure control.ConclusionsThe presence of preictal cursor activity detected with state of the art time frequency and network analyses shows that spike-wave discharges are not caused by sudden and abrupt transitions but that there are detectable dynamic events. Their changes in time-space-frequency characteristics might yield new options for seizure prediction and seizure control.