A new bifurcation parameter in a modified Huber-Braun model

Abstract

Thermally sensitive neurons represent a bursting-spiking activity that is indicated by rapid repetitive spiking trains of action potentials pursued by dormant periods. Synchronization of such behavior in a network of coupled spiking neurons such as the epileptogenic zone in the brain may cause some neurological disorders such as epileptic seizures. This paper introduces a new approach for predicting the seizure onset in a model of an epileptic neuron. The parameters which are used for simulations have been selected in such a way that they would be potentially applicable in the non-invasive brain stimulation approaches such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). In this regard, a modified Huber-Braun model of a thermally sensitive neuron exposed to external rTMS-induced voltages is presented. Applying the chaos theory, the bifurcation diagram of a modified Huber-Braun model with a new bifurcation parameter is used to estimate the time at which the bifurcation takes place whereby allowing a more accurate prediction of the seizure onset based on the modified model.

Keywords

• bifurcation theory
• Huber-Braun model
• seizure