Linking spatial E/I imbalance patterns to epilepsy

Determine how the spatial distribution of excitation–inhibition imbalance across cortical columns is associated with epilepsy, including characterizing the relationship between spatial E/I patterns and epileptic brain activity.

Background

Excitation–inhibition (E/I) imbalance across cortical columns has been implicated in epileptic brain activity. While E/I imbalance is recognized as a mechanism, the specific manner in which its spatial distribution across the cortex relates to epilepsy is not established.

Clarifying this association would improve understanding of epileptic network organization and could inform biomarkers or targets for intervention.

References

Finally, although the excitation-inhibition imbalance across columns has been shown to underlie an epileptic form of brain activity \cite[\, e.g., ][]{Friston2016}, it is unclear how such a spatial distribution pattern is associated with epilepsy.

— Differential Dynamic Causal Nets: Model Construction, Identification and Group Comparisons  (2601.21478 - You et al., 29 Jan 2026) in Introduction, immediately following the fourth challenge paragraph