Parameter estimation and control for a neural mass model based on the unscented Kalman filter.

Recent progress in Kalman filters to estimate states and parameters in nonlinear systems has provided the possibility of applying such approaches to neural systems. We here apply the nonlinear method of unscented Kalman filters (UKFs) to observe states and estimate parameters in a neural mass model that can simulate distinct rhythms in electroencephalography (EEG) including dynamical evolution during epilepsy seizures. We demonstrate the efficiency of the UKF in estimating states and parameters. We also develop an UKF-based control strategy to modulate the dynamics of the neural mass model. In this strategy the UKF plays the role of observing states, and the control law is constructed via the estimated states. We demonstrate the feasibility of using such a strategy to suppress epileptiform spikes in the neural mass model.