Oscillatory activity: Neuronal networks generating pathological high frequency oscillations

In the mammalian brain, the occurrence of network oscillations has been shown to facilitate the timing of action potential discharges among individual neurons. A strongly coordinated, but brief, pattern of neuronal activity arises during high frequency oscillations (>100 Hz) or HFOs. Under physiological conditions, HFOs and corresponding synchronous discharges are proposed to play an important role in information processing. However, pathological alterations to HFO networks associated with seizure disorders produce abnormal synchronous discharges that are believed to be epileptogenic. A better understanding of the structural and functional changes in pathological HFO-generating networks will provide valuable information about neuronal mechanisms that contribute to epileptogenicity and could improve the surgical treatment of epilepsy.