Seizure forecasting: Bifurcations in the long and winding road

Abstract

To date the unpredictability of seizures remains a source of suffering for people with epilepsy, motivating decades of research into methods to forecast seizures. Originally, only few scientists and neurologists ventured into this niche endeavor, which, given the difficulty of the task, soon turned into a long and winding road. Over the past decade however, our narrow field has seen a major acceleration with trials of chronic EEG devices and the subsequent discovery of cyclical patterns in the occurrence of seizures. Now, a burgeoning science of seizure timing is emerging, which in turns informs best forecasting strategies for upcoming clinical trials. Although the finish line might be in view, many challenges remain to make seizure forecasting a reality. This review covers the most recent scientific, technical and medical developments, discusses methodology in detail and sets a number of goals for future studies.