# Characterization and Modeling of Epileptic Spasm Propagation Dynamics

> **NIH NIH F30** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $43,962

## Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the most frequently diagnosed neurologic conditions in childhood. Compared to adults,
children have a relatively higher incidence of seizures, and notable differences in seizure etiology and
consequence. In many cases, epileptic activity originates from malformed tissue within the developing brain, and
when such tissue can be localized and surgically removed, it is possible to achieve subsequent seizure freedom.
There is a particular urgency to perform these interventions in children, as persistent epileptic activity can have
devastating consequences on cognitive development. Over the last two decades, the sponsors and collaborators
of this proposal have published on research towards anatomically, metabolically, and electrophysiologically
localizing seizure onset in epilepsy patients. However, relatively less is known about the exact spatiotemporal
dynamics of epileptic propagation, which can make it difficult to appreciate clinical and research findings in the
greater context of epileptic symptoms. The goal of this proposal is to help bridge this gap by identifying the
pathways that epileptic activity takes as it propagates through the brain.
 This project will specifically investigate epileptic spasms: very brief seizures that occur in repetitive bursts
and are most often seen in young patients. By decomposing the intracranial electroencephalography associated
with these spasms, mapping electrode locations to diffusion-weighted imaging tractography, and studying activity
that reveals the nature of this anatomy, we will trace the dynamics of spasm signals as they move through the
brain and identify their alignment with known brain networks. Understanding the anatomical and functional
networks that most constrain spasm propagation could improve the prediction of seizure onset zones; the entire
spatiotemporal profile of the spasms could be fit to an individualized framework, and electrodes that show initial
spasm activity at ambiguously similar times may be favored or disfavored as potential spasm origins based on
subsequent activity. The efficacy of this information will be more practically assessed when integrated into
seizure simulation models, which can retrospectively predict the functional outcome of surgeries based on their
planned anatomical changes and the kinds of seizure propagation such changes would prohibit.
 By seeing this research through, the trainee will be exposed to the acute conditions and therapies related
to his work as new patients present for surgery, as well as the longer-term implications of therapy efficacy and
neurodevelopment as patients return for clinical follow up. He will help generate information relevant to current
gold standard therapies, while simultaneously contributing to conceptions of the disease’s natural course and
variability. Ultimately, he will learn the process, and witness the actionable outcomes, of addressing a research
question in a clinical setting, and he will lay a strong fo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10065841
- **Project number:** 1F30NS115279-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nolan O'Hara
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $43,962
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-08 → 2023-06-07

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10065841

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10065841, Characterization and Modeling of Epileptic Spasm Propagation Dynamics (1F30NS115279-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10065841. Licensed CC0.

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