Epileptic electroencephalography recordings can be described in terms of four prototypic wave forms: fast sinusoidal oscillations, large slow waves, fast spiking, and spike waves. On the macroscopic level, these wave forms have been modeled by different mechanistic models which share canonical features. Here we derive a minimal model of excitatory and inhibitory processes with features common to all previous models. We can infer that at least three interacting processes are required to support the prototypic epileptic dynamics. Based on a separation of time scales we analyze the model in terms of interacting manifolds in phase space. This allows qualitative reverse engineering of all epileptic wave forms and transitions between them. We propose this method as a complement to traditional approaches to modeling epileptiform rhythms.

• Received 14 February 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.85.061918