Correlation dimension and integral do not predict epileptic seizures

Reports in the literature have indicated potential value of the correlation integral and dimension for prediction of epileptic seizures up to several minutes before electrographic onset. We apply these measures to over 2000 total hours of continuous electrocortiogram, taken from 20 patients with epilepsy, examine their sensitivity to quantifiable properties such as the signal amplitude and autocorrelation, and investigate the influence of embedding and filtering strategies on their performance. The results are compared against those obtained from surrogate time series. Our conclusion is that neither the correlation dimension nor the correlation integral has predictive power for seizures.     

Inability of Lyapunov exponents to predict epileptic seizures

It has been claimed that Lyapunov exponents computed from electroencephalogram or electrocorticogram (ECoG) time series are useful for early prediction of epileptic seizures. We show, by utilizing a paradigmatic chaotic system, that there are two major obstacles that can fundamentally hinder the predictive power of Lyapunov exponents computed from time series: finite-time statistical fluctuations and noise. A case study with an ECoG signal recorded from a patient with epilepsy is presented.     

Multifractal detrented fluctuation analysis of tonic-clonic epileptic seizures

Scaling behaviour analysis of wavelet filtered EEG (without muscle activity) generalized tonic-clonic epileptic seizures are presented. In particular we show using the Multifractal Detrented Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA) that the epileptic recruitment rhythm observed in this kind of epileptic seizures present monofractal scaling behaviour, with lower values for the clonic than the tonic phases.     

A coupled ordinary differential equation lattice model for the simulation of epileptic seizures

A coupled ordinary differential equation lattice model for the CA3 region of the hippocampus (a common location of the epileptic focus) is developed. This model consists of a hexagonal lattice of nodes, each describing a subnetwork consisting of a group of prototypical excitatory pyramidal cells and a group of prototypical inhibitory interneurons connected via on/off excitatory and inhibitory synapses. The nodes communicate using simple rules to simulate the diffusion of extracellular potassium. Both the integration time over which a node's trajectory is integrated before the diffusional event is allowed to occur and the level of inhibition in each node were found to be important parameters. Shorter integration times lead to total synchronization of the lattice (similar to synchronous neural activity occurring during a seizure) whereas longer times cause more random spatiotemporal behavior. Moderately diminished levels of inhibition lead to simple nodal oscillatory behavior. It is postulated that both the lack of inhibition and an alteration in conduction time may be necessary for the development of a behaviorally manifest seizure. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.     

Dynamical analogy between epileptic seizures and seismogenic electromagnetic emissions by means of nonextensive statistical mechanics

The field of study of complex systems considers that the dynamics of complex systems are founded on universal principles that may be used to describe a great variety of scientific and technological approaches of different types of natural, artificial, and social systems. Several authors have suggested that earthquake dynamics and neurodynamics can be analyzed within similar mathematical frameworks. Recently, authors have shown that a dynamical analogy supported by scale-free statistics exists between seizures and earthquakes, analyzing populations of different seizures and earthquakes, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a shift in emphasis from the large to the small scale: our analyses focus on a single epileptic seizure generation and the activation of a single fault (earthquake) and not on the statistics of sequences of different seizures and earthquakes. We apply the concepts of the nonextensive statistical physics to support the suggestion that a dynamical analogy exists between the two different extreme events, seizures and earthquakes. We also investigate the existence of such an analogy by means of scale-free statistics (the Gutenberg–Richter distribution of event sizes and the distribution of the waiting time until the next event). The performed analysis confirms the existence of a dynamic analogy between earthquakes and seizures, which moreover follow the dynamics of magnetic storms and solar flares.     

Controlled test for predictive power of Lyapunov exponents: their inability to predict epileptic seizures

Lyapunov exponents are a set of fundamental dynamical invariants characterizing a system's sensitive dependence on initial conditions. For more than a decade, it has been claimed that the exponents computed from electroencephalogram (EEG) or electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals can be used for prediction of epileptic seizures minutes or even tens of minutes in advance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictive power of Lyapunov exponents. Three approaches are employed. (1) We present qualitative arguments suggesting that the Lyapunov exponents generally are not useful for seizure prediction. (2) We construct a two-dimensional, nonstationary chaotic map with a parameter slowly varying in a range containing a crisis, and test whether this critical event can be predicted by monitoring the evolution of finite-time Lyapunov exponents. This can thus be regarded as a "control test" for the claimed predictive power of the exponents for seizure. We find that two major obstacles arise in this application: statistical fluctuations of the Lyapunov exponents due to finite time computation and noise from the time series. We show that increasing the amount of data in a moving window will not improve the exponents' detective power for characteristic system changes, and that the presence of small noise can ruin completely the predictive power of the exponents. (3) We report negative results obtained from ECoG signals recorded from patients with epilepsy. All these indicate firmly that, the use of Lyapunov exponents for seizure prediction is practically impossible as the brain dynamical system generating the ECoG signals is more complicated than low-dimensional chaotic systems, and is noisy.     

Wavelet Jensen–Shannon divergence as a tool for studying the dynamics of frequency band components in EEG epileptic seizures

We develop a quantitative method of analysis of EEG records. The method is based on the wavelet analysis of the record and on the capability of the Jensen–Shannon divergence (JSD) to identify dynamical changes in a time series. The JSD is a measure of distance between probability distributions. Therefore for its evaluation it is necessary to define a (time dependent) probability distribution along the record. We define this probability distribution from the wavelet decomposition of the associated time series. The wavelet JSD provides information about dynamical changes in the scales and can be considered a complementary methodology reported earlier [O.A. Rosso, S. Blanco, A. Rabinowicz, Signal Processing 86 (2003) 1275; O.A. Rosso, S. Blanco, J. Yordanova, V. Kolev, A. Figliola, M. Schürmann, E. Ba?ar, J. Neurosci. Methods 105 (2001) 65; O.A. Rosso, M.T. Martin, A. Figliola, K. Keller, A. Plastino, J. Neurosci. Methods 153 (2006) 163]. In the present study we have demonstrated it by analyzing EEG signal of tonic–clonic epileptic seizures applying the JSD method. The display of the JSD curves enables easy comparison of frequency band component dynamics. This would, in turn, promise easy and successful comparison of the EEG records from various scalp locations of the brain.     

In vivo EPR imaging by using an acyl-protected hydroxylamine to analyze intracerebral oxidative stress in rats after epileptic seizures

EPR imaging by using an acyl-protected hydroxylamine, 1-acetoxy-3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine (ACP), in the head of a living rat after kainic acid (KA)-induced epileptic seizures was performed. ACP is a stable non-radical compound, but is easily deprotected with intracellular esterase to yield a hydroxylamine, which is oxidized by intracellular oxidative stress to yield an EPR-detectable nitroxide radical. From in vivo image data, the average values of EPR signal intensity from the hippocampus, striatum, and cerebral cortex were computed. There was no significant difference in cortical signal intensity between the control and KA-treated rats. The signal intensities from the hippocampus and striatum for the KA-treated rats were significantly higher than those for the control. The in vitro study showed that almost the same quantity of ACP moved into all regions of the brain of the control and KA-treated rats. These findings indicate that following a KA-induced seizure, the oxidative stress in the hippocampus and striatum is enhanced, but not so in the cerebral cortex.     

Focusing through an interface: scanning and localizing the intensity

Focusing light through an interface leads to an aberrated intensity distribution that is highly extended with a relatively low peak intensity. We present a method, using a well-chosen annular aperture, that can greatly improve the localization of the intensity about a prescribed point on the axis. Also, the intensity at that point can be increased significantly. By continuously varying the annulus radii, we can scan the intensity peak through the second medium. This localization and scanning method has possible applications in three-dimensional imaging and lithography.     

Increased phase synchronization of spontaneous calcium oscillations in epileptic human versus normal rat astrocyte cultures

Stochastic synchronization analysis is applied to intracellular calcium oscillations in astrocyte cultures prepared from epileptic human temporal lobe. The same methods are applied to astrocyte cultures prepared from normal rat hippocampus. Our results indicate that phase-repulsive coupling in epileptic human astrocyte cultures is stronger, leading to an increased synchronization in epileptic human compared to normal rat astrocyte cultures.     

Complementary bowtie aperture for localizing and enhancing optical magnetic field

Nanoscale bowtie antenna and bowtie aperture antenna have been shown to generate strongly enhanced and localized electric fields below the diffraction limit in the optical frequency range. According to Babinet's principle, their complements will be efficient for concentrating and enhancing magnetic fields. In this Letter, we discuss the enhancement of magnetic field intensity of nanoscale complementary bowtie aperture as well as complementary bowtie aperture antenna, or diabolo nanoantenna. We show that the complementary bowtie antenna resonates at a smaller wavelength and thus is more suitable for applications near visible wavelengths. The near-field magnetic intensity can be further enhanced by the addition of groove structures that scatter surface plasmon.     

Detecting the Neutrino

In 1930 Wolfgang Pauli suggested that a new particle might be required to make sense of the radioactive-disintegration mode known as beta decay. This conjecture initially seemed impossible to verify since the new particle, which became known as the neutrino, was uncharged, had zero or small mass, and interacted only insignificantly with other matter. In 1951 Frederick Reines and Clyde L. Cowan, Jr., of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory undertook the difficult task of detecting the free neutrino by observing its inverse beta-decay interaction with matter. They succeeded in 1956. The neutrino was accepted rapidly as a fundamental particle despite discrepancies in reported details of the experiments and despite the absence of independent verification of the result. This paper describes the experiments, examines the nature of the discrepancies, and discusses the circumstances of the acceptance of the neutrino's detection by the physics community.     

Enhancement of spatial resolution of ghost imaging via localizing and thresholding

In ghost imaging, an illumination light is split into test and reference beams which pass through two different optical systems respectively and an image is constructed with the second-order correlation between the two light beams. Since both light beams are diffracted when passing through the optical systems, the spatial resolution of ghost imaging is in general lower than that of a corresponding conventional imaging system. When Gaussian-shaped light spots are used to illuminate an object, randomly scanning across the object plane, in the ghost imaging scheme, we show th√at by localizing central positions of the spots of the reference light beam, the resolution can be increased by a factor of 2~(1/2) same as that of the corresponding conventional imaging system. We also find that the resolution can be further enhanced by setting an appropriate threshold to the bucket measurement of ghost imaging.     

Single-layer metal nanolenses with tight foci in far-field

In simulations we analyze performance of plasmonic nanolenses made of a single metal layer. We consider the nanolenses in two configurations. In the first, the nanolens is a free-standing silver layer with no hole on the optical axis and double-sided concentric corrugations. In the second, the nanolens has a set of slits instead of grooves. This necessitates integrating the annular metal elements with a dielectric matrix. We examine the following parameters of the nanolenses: film thickness, diameter of an on-axis stop, and lattice constant of slits or double-sided concentric grooves, as well as depth and width of grooves. Due to radially polarized illumination lenses have foci of full widths at half maxima (FWHMs) better than half a wavelength, though foci formed by propagating waves do not decrease beyond the diffraction limit. Due to proper geometry of slits or double-sided grooves lenses have focal lengths of the order of a few wavelengths. Transmission of light through lenses with double-sided narrow grooves reaches 30% while through ones with slits exceeds 80%.