Aborting Seizures with a Single Stimulus: The Case for Multistability

A centuries-old observation is that a brief stimulus given at seizure onset can sometimes abort the catacylsm. Figure 16.1 shows an example in which a seizure is stopped by a sudden noise. In patients with implanted electrodes, the application of brief electrical stimuli is sufficient to halt epileptic afterdischarges [930] . These observations raise the possibility of developing therapeutic strategies for controlling epileptic seizures based on the delivery of appropriately designed stimuli to the right area of the brain at the correct time [110,749].