Fast ripple‐delta coupling as an early biomarker for post‐traumatic epileptogenesis in repetitive brain injury

Some people develop epilepsy after a traumatic brain injury, but it is currently impossible to predict who is at risk. Using mice, we found that a specific brain wave pattern, brief bursts of very fast electrical activity occurring during deep sleep, appeared within days after injury in animals that later developed seizures. This pattern was not seen in injured animals that remained seizure-free. Detecting this early warning sign could help identify at-risk individuals and enable earlier treatment to potentially prevent epilepsy.