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What Is a Seizure Network? Very Fast Oscillations at the Interface Between Normal and Epileptic Brain

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Issues in Clinical Epileptology: A View from the Bench

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 813))

Abstract

Although there is a great multiplicity of normal brain electrical activities, one can observe defined, relatively abrupt, transitions between apparently normal rhythms and clearly abnormal, higher amplitude, “epileptic” signals; transitions occur over tens of ms to many seconds. Transitional activity typically consists of low-amplitude very fast oscillations (VFO). Examination of this VFO provides insight into system parameters that differentiate the “normal” from the “epileptic.” Remarkably, VFO in vitro is generated by principal neuron gap junctions, and occurs readily when chemical synapses are suppressed, tissue pH is elevated, and [Ca2+]o is low. Because VFO originates in principal cell axons that fire at high frequencies, excitatory synapses may experience short-term plasticity. If the latter takes the form of potentiation of recurrent synapses on principal cells, and depression of these on inhibitory interneurons, then the stage is set for synchronized bursting – if [Ca2+]o recovers sufficiently. Our hypothesis can be tested (in part) in patients, once it is possible to measure brain tissue parameters (pH, [Ca2+]o) simultaneously with ECoG.

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Abbreviations

ACSF:

Artificial cerebrospinal fluid

DHPG:

(S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine

ECoG:

Electrocorticography

TMA:

Trimethylamine

VFO:

Very fast oscillations (>70 Hz)

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Acknowledgement

With deepest gratitude to Philip A. Schwartzkroin who (with Robert Wong and David Prince) introduced RDT to epilepsy research in 1977.

Other Acknowledgement

Supported by IBM, NIH/NINDS, the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung, Einstein Stiftung Berlin, the Hadwen Trust and the Wellcome Trust. We thank Andreas Draguhn, Dietmar Schmitz, Yoshio Okada, and Nikita Vladimirov for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA

    Roger D. Traub

  2. Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Roger D. Traub

  3. Institute of Neuroscience, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Mark O. Cunningham

  4. Hull York Medical School, The University of York, Heslington, YO10 5DD, UK

    Miles A. Whittington

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  1. Roger D. Traub
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Correspondence to Roger D. Traub .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Child & Adoles. Psych., Phys. & Neurosc., and Psych., New York Univ. Langone Med. Ctr., Orangeburg, New York, USA

    Helen E. Scharfman

  2. Dept. of Comp. Med. and Neurol. & Neurol. Scs., Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA

    Paul S. Buckmaster

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Traub, R.D., Cunningham, M.O., Whittington, M.A. (2014). What Is a Seizure Network? Very Fast Oscillations at the Interface Between Normal and Epileptic Brain. In: Scharfman, H., Buckmaster, P. (eds) Issues in Clinical Epileptology: A View from the Bench. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 813. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8914-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8914-1_6

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