Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

261

Mark H. Myers

Date

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Biomedical Engineering

Committee Chair

Amy de Jongh Curry

Committee Member

Charles Blaha

Committee Member

Khan M Iftekharuddin

Abstract

Utilizing EEG as a measurement of the changes between normal and abnormal (seizure) brain states, an enhanced vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) can be developed that can calculate the changes between local and remote brain sites as localized seizure events manifest into globalized synchronization throughout the cortex. A VNS simulator has been developed that captures the action potentials of human EEGs and measures the propagation of action potentials through the cortex by Phase/Amplitude Lock Values (PLV/ALV).PLV/ALV values are used to calculate the difference of phase and amplitude between local and remote electrodes. As the calculated difference between the channels approach one, the PLV/ALV values signify the synchrony occurring through mesoscopic populations of neurons throughout the cortex.PLV values are used to signify the emergence of abnormal neuron activations through local neuron populations.This local emergence is called the epileptogenisis.PLV/ALV values demarcate the seizure event, whereas the local seizure event has propagated throughout the brain turning into a grand-mal event. The VNS simulator can also demonstrate how external electrical titration therapy reduces the seizure event.The simulator utilizes the KIV model; a biologically inspired neural network that captures the mesoscopic activity of action potential of neuron populations.Through this model, the simulated brain in the form of the KIV interacts with the VNS simulator to demonstrate the effects of electrical titration therapy.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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