Optimising anti-seizure medication timing using a dynamic network model of seizure rhythms

Jake Ahern^1*John Robert Terry^2,3

• ¹University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
• ²University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
• ³Neuronostics Ltd, Bristol, United Kingdom

Epileptic seizures and interictal discharges exhibit robust circadian and multidien rhythms, yet the interaction between these biological cycles and anti-seizure medication (ASM) pharmacology remains poorly understood. Here, we present a dynamical network model that integrates rhythmic fluctuations in cortical excitability with pharmacokinetic properties of common ASMs to explore how treatment timing influences efficacy. The framework embeds a slow, rhythm-generating process directly within the governing equations, allowing seizure-like dynamics to emerge endogenously. We simulated ASMs with a range of distinct half-lives under single-daily and twice-daily dosing schedules. For the short half-life ASM, efficacy depended strongly on the phase of administration, with doses delivered approximately six hours before the peak in seizure likelihood achieving up to 20% greater reduction in epileptiform discharges than suboptimal phases. In contrast, phase dependence was minimal for slower half-life drugs due to their slower elimination and flatter concentration profiles. These findings suggest that short half-life ASMs could benefit most from chronotherapeutic timing. Our framework unifies seizure dynamics, biological rhythms, and ASM pharmacology within a single model, offering a mechanistic tool to explore patient-specific optimization of treatment timing. This work establishes a foundation for translating chronotherapy into epilepsy care and provides a conceptual bridge between computational neuroscience and clinical pharmacology.