临床上约有80%癫痫患者的癫痫发作可以自行停止，接近20%的患者发生过癫痫持续状态（SE），后者危害严重。癫痫发作如何自行停止或演化成SE是癫痫领域遗留的经典核心问题，对癫痫治疗及预后至关重要。螺旋波是生物学系统中基本流体动力学现象，应用电压敏感染料成像可以观测到大脑皮层螺旋波。我们新近发现，螺旋波可能是促使失神癫痫发作停止的重要皮层自身调控机制。本项目依据前期基础和螺旋波产生原理提出假说：在癫痫发作过程中，皮层癫痫波相互碰撞产生螺旋波增多，螺旋波以自身固有频率（~10Hz）干扰癫痫性振荡（~3Hz），促使癫痫发作自行停止。若螺旋波产生受阻使癫痫发作不能自行停止而演化成SE。本研究通过建立精确可控的诱导或消除皮层螺旋波方法，采用多种经典癫痫发作模型和SE模型验证上述假说，探讨皮层螺旋波在癫痫发作的自行停止或演化成SE过程中的作用，对于癫痫的基础理论认识、临床治疗及SE预防具有重要意义。

Clinically, in nearly 80% of epilepsy patients, the epileptic seizures will spontaneously terminate, and in the remaining proximate 20% of the patients have experienced status epilepticus (SE). Mechanisms underlying the seizure self-terminating and sustaining to SE remain largely unknown, which are not only closely correlated to epileptic therapy and prognosis, but also critical key issues in epileptic research area. Spiral waves are common phenomenon of fluid dynamics in biological system. They can be observed in cortex using voltage sensitive dye (VSD) imaging which converts neuronal membrane potential into optical signals. We recently observed that spiral waves might play an important role in the seizure self-terminating of an episode of thalamic absence seizure. Based on preliminary work and principle of spiral wave generation, we hypothesize that epileptic waves may collide with each other and increase cortical spiral waves. Spiral waves are self sustained rotation waves without pace making cells, and the intrinsic frequency of the spiral waves (rotation rate, ~10 Hz) may be faster than the pace-making frequency of the generator of absence seizure (~3 Hz). The incoherency in frequency may cause the termination of an epileptic oscillation episode. In addition, SE may occur as a strong propagating wave without spirals to terminate the episode. Based on our previous work and preliminary data, for the first time we propose to establish methods of precisely inducing or eliminating cortical spiral waves. Using classical epileptic seizure animal models and SE models, we will test our hypothesis, on the role of cortical spiral waves for determining seizure outcomes: self-termination or progression towards SE. Our project will shed light on epileptogenesis from an angle of wave-to-wave interactions and spiral dynamics. Understanding spiral dynamics may contribute to both basic theories underlying epilepsy and therapeutical applications by providing a new target developing antiepileptic strategies as well as preventing SE.