Epileptogenic neurophysiological feature analysis based on an improved neural mass model

Abstract

To elucidate the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying seizures according to electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, a neurophysiologically-based neural mass model that can produce EEG-like signals was adopted to simulate ictal and interictal EEG signals. A delay unit and a gain unit were added to the Wendling model to fit EEG signals in the time domain. An optimal parameter set minimising the error between observed and simulated EEG was identified using a genetic algorithm. To compare the inhibition and excitation during the ictal and interictal periods, the model parameters were determined for two sets of EEG signals using the proposed method. The results show that the model with identified parameters can simulate the real EEG signal well, with a mean square error of 0.0315-0.2138. Fifty repetitions for every selected EEG signal showed that the dispersion of the identified parameters was small in most cases, and the identification procedure generally showed similar values. Comparison of the model parameters of seizure and non-seizure EEG signals showed enhanced excitability, attenuated inhibition, and a more concentrated energy distribution in the frequency domain during the ictal periods. The experimental results for long-term EEG signals revealed continuous changes in the model parameters during epileptic seizures.