MORE | Spring 2021

Propagation of Interictal Spikes in Epilepsy

Interictal spikes are typically regarded as a sign of epilepsy, although their precise role in epilepsy remains vague. This study explores the spatiotemporal dynamics of sequences of interictal spikes in a small patch of the cortex of an epilepsy patient. As hypothesized, interictal spike sequences were found to directionally propagate across the cortex consistently. This suggests the existence of temporal and spatial synchronization — possibly enhanced by interictal spike propagation — among underlying neuronal populations.