Rummel, ChristianChristianRummelGoodfellow, MarcMarcGoodfellowGast, HeidemarieHeidemarieGastHauf, MartinusMartinusHaufAmor, FrédériqueFrédériqueAmorStibal, AlexanderAlexanderStibalMariani, LuigiLuigiMarianiWiest, Roland Gerhard RudiRoland Gerhard RudiWiestSchindler, KasparKasparSchindler2024-10-112024-10-112013https://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/81727Epileptic seizures are due to the pathological collective activity of large cellular assemblies. A better understanding of this collective activity is integral to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In contrast to reductionist analyses, which focus solely on small-scale characteristics of ictogenesis, here we follow a systems-level approach, which combines both small-scale and larger-scale analyses. Peri-ictal dynamics of epileptic networks are assessed by studying correlation within and between different spatial scales of intracranial electroencephalographic recordings (iEEG) of a heterogeneous group of patients suffering from pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. Epileptiform activity as recorded by a single iEEG electrode is determined objectively by the signal derivative and then subjected to a multivariate analysis of correlation between all iEEG channels. We find that during seizure, synchrony increases on the smallest and largest spatial scales probed by iEEG. In addition, a dynamic reorganization of spatial correlation is observed on intermediate scales, which persists after seizure termination. It is proposed that this reorganization may indicate a balancing mechanism that decreases high local correlation. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that during epileptic seizures hypercorrelated and therefore functionally segregated brain areas are re-integrated into more collective brain dynamics. In addition, except for a special sub-group, a highly significant association is found between the location of ictal iEEG activity and the location of areas of relative decrease of localised EEG correlation. The latter could serve as a clinically important quantitative marker of the seizure onset zone (SOZ).en600 - Technology::610 - Medicine & healthA Systems-Level Approach to Human Epileptic Seizuresarticle10.7892/boris.115752296160100031760950000410.1007/s12021-012-9161-2