Wednesday, April 4th, 2018
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, in Science 2-063

Mark Kramer

Boston University

Applications of techniques in mathematics and statistics to study human seizures

Abstract: Epilepsy, the propensity toward recurrent, unprovoked seizures is a devastating disease affecting 65 million people worldwide. Understanding and treating this disease remains a challenge, as seizures manifest through mechanisms and features that span spatial and temporal scales. In this talk, we will examine some aspects of this challenge through the statistical analysis and mathematical modeling of human brain voltage activity recorded simultaneously across microscopic and macroscopic spatial scales. We will focus on how seizure activity propagates over the brain's surface, and how seizures stop. When possible, we will describe a corresponding computational model to propose specific mechanisms that support the observed spatiotemporal dynamics.