Biomedical Engineering - Theses
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ItemCycles and Seizure Forecasting in Epilepsy( 2023-08)People with epilepsy were once termed “lunatics” because their seizures appeared to occur in synchrony with the lunar cycle. The cause was sinning at the wrong time of the lunar phase: “If they [the planets] should scrutinize while the Moon is putting an end to a certain phase, they produce maniacs, ecstatics, epileptics, those who chant”. This conviction was consistent with medicine at the time, which believed that the moon caused an unnaturally moist brain, leading to epileptic seizures. Nowadays, we know that most people with epilepsy have at least one seizure cycle, the periods of which are unique to the individual (7 days, 10 days, 20 days, 28 days, etc.). Yet we have a very limited understanding of where they derive from and how to best understand them for seizure forecasting and other applications. This thesis aims to expand our scientific understanding of the co-existing factors and mechanistic drivers of multiday cyclical patterns in epilepsy while investigating their utility in improving the performance of seizure forecasting algorithms. The presented research addresses this overarching aim by answering three questions: (1) What physiological signals correlate with cyclical patterns in epileptic seizures? (2) Can physiological signals correlating with cyclical patterns in epileptic seizures be tracked and utilised to improve seizure forecasting algorithms? (3) How can we begin investigating the systemic mechanisms of cycles in epilepsy and beyond? By answering these questions, this thesis aspires to give future researchers the foundational knowledge and resources needed to gain greater insight into cycles in epilepsy and mammalian biology.