Cortical stimulation and epilepsy: Network physiology insights for diagnosis and therapy

Network Physiology is a multidisciplinary field dedicated to uncovering the complexity of physiological interactions across diverse physiological systems and hierarchical networks to understand integrative functions in health and disease. Manuscripts submitted to this Research Topic should be in the context of Network Physiology and explicitly consider, utilize, or inform perspectives and methodologies from Network Physiology.The field of epilepsy research has rapidly evolved with an appreciation that seizures arise from dysfunctions in distributed brain networks rather than isolated regions. Increasingly, both invasive and noninvasive brain stimulation techniques – including deep brain stimulation (DBS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS), epicranial application of stimulation electrodes for epilepsy (EASEE), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) – are offering new avenues for probing and modulating epileptic circuits. Recent investigations harness network physiology frameworks to unravel the dynamic connectivity of epileptic networks. However, key challenges persist: it is still unclear how various stimulation paradigms uniquely alter network connectivity, which mechanisms drive their clinical efficacy, and what stimulation parameters most effectively disrupt pathological synchrony without impairing physiological functions. Notably, comparative studies across stimulation modalities and models are limited, and the translation of network-level insights into optimized, individualized treatments remains an open problem.This Research Topic aims to bridge pivotal knowledge gaps in the network physiology underlying a broad spectrum of brain stimulation techniques in epilepsy diagnosis and therapy. By focusing on the capacity of both invasive and noninvasive modalities to perturb, map, and restore functional interactions within epileptic networks, this topic seeks to distill shared mechanistic principles governing normal coordination and the maladaptive states driving seizures. We invite studies that elucidate how different stimulation approaches interrogate, access, and reshape epileptic circuits, as well as research that advances the optimization of stimulation strategies to maximize diagnostic and therapeutic benefit. The overarching objective is to refine the mechanistic understanding and clinical application of network-targeted interventions, toward greater precision in treating drug-resistant epilepsy.To gather further insights within the boundaries of network-level investigation and both invasive and noninvasive stimulation in epilepsy, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Network-based approaches for mapping epileptic circuits using brain stimulation• Mechanisms by which invasive (e.g., DBS, RNS, EASEE) and noninvasive (e.g., TMS, TES, tDCS) stimulation modulate network connectivity and excitability• Parameter-dependent effects of various stimulation modalities on large-scale brain dynamics• Network biomarkers and physiological readouts generated by diagnostic or therapeutic stimulation (e.g., CCEPs, EEG, imaging)• Integration of computational modeling and systems neuroscience approaches to interpret stimulation effects• Inter-individual variability in network responses to stimulation and strategies for personalized therapy Topic editors: Samuel Tomlinson, Patrick Davis Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75518/cortical-stimulation-and-epilepsy-network-physiology-insights-for-diagnosis-and-therapy