Definition
Network models are very useful tools to investigate the genesis of oscillatory behavior such as epileptic seizures. During many types of seizures, the brain produces oscillatory spike-and-wave discharges, which are particularly prominent for absence seizures. It was found that the thalamocortical mechanisms leading to spindle oscillations and their large-scale synchrony can explain spike-and-wave oscillations, if the excitability of the cerebral cortex is augmented. These pathological oscillations can be reproduced by network models involving the reciprocal interaction between thalamus and cortex.
Detailed Description
Introduction
Many types of epileptic seizures display very synchronized oscillations producing a typical electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern consisting of one or several sharp deflections (“spikes”) followed by a surface-positive “wave.” Spike-and-wave patterns of similar characteristics are also seen in a number of experimental models in cats, rats, mice, and...
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References
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Further Reading
Destexhe A (2007) Spike-and-wave oscillations. Scholarpedia 2:1402. http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Spike-and-Wave_Oscillations
Destexhe A, Sejnowski TJ (2001) Thalamocortical assemblies. Oxford University Press, Oxford
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Destexhe, A. (2014). Slow Oscillations and Epilepsy: Network Models. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_19-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_19-1
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