Colloquium-October 30, 2015

Friday, October 30, 2015 (3:00 p.m. in Yost 306)

Title: Numerical Simulation of Cortical Spreading Depression on Individual Brain Geometries

Speaker: Luca Gerardo-Giorda (Research Line Leader, Basque Center for Applied Mathematics)

Hosted by Daniela Calvetti

Abstract: Migraine is a prevailing disease in present day population. Several studies suggest that cortical spreading depression (CSD) – a depolarisation wave that originates in the visual region and propagates across the cortex to the peripheral areas – underlays visual aura, a neurological phenomenon preceding migraine and causing perceptual disturbance. Numerical simulation on real geometries can help to identify correlates to assess risks and planning suitable countering strategies. The geometry of the human cortex is highly individual, and is anticipated to impact the propagation of this depolarisation wave. The broader goal of our research aims is to analyze brain geometries to understand their potential to support migraine and find common indicators pointing to predispositions for migraine.

In this talk we present a model for the propagation of action potentials, that we simulate on a cortex obtained from MRI measurements. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data for local conductivity information are included to improve the accuracy of the simulation.

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