We hypothesized that paroxysms in cases of hypercalcicity represent a process by which a cell (neuron) eliminates excitotoxicity, which would otherwise lead to apoptosis. This is most clearly observed in motor epileptic seizures. In such cases, the chemical energy of excitotoxicity is transformed into mechanical energy. The ease of this transformation is explained by the shared ontogenetic and phylogenetic origins of the nervous and locomotor systems. Specifically, in neurons, the calcium-calmodulin complex acts as a transformer of chemical energy into electrical energy, while in skeletal muscles, the calcium-troponin complex converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. In both cases, calcium ions and structurally similar proteins – calmodulin and troponin play a leading role in energy transformation. Sometimes, the epileptic mechanism only partially prevents apoptosis, and some neurons die. Clinically, this can manifest as Todd’s paralysis, a well-known phenomenon.

Thus, we viewed epileptogenesisand apoptosis as alternative processes for neurons subjected to calcium excitotoxicity. This parallels the relationship between mitosis and apoptosis, where mitosis is also seen as an alternative to apoptosis. Neurons in an epileptic focus (like all other neurons) are incapable of mitotic division. Therefore, when exposed to calcium or other forms of excitotoxicity (e.g., glutamate-induced), they counteract it by imposing abnormal electrical activity on the entire brain tissue. In this sense, neurons in an epileptic focus behave similarly to cancerous cells, which impose themselves on the organism through abnormal cell division.

An epileptogenic focus, like a tumor, possesses a certain degree of autonomy. The cells in both cases are abnormal – in tumors, this manifests as tissue and cellular atypia, while in an epileptic focus, neuronal microdystopias are often observed. Therefore, their energy organization shares many similarities. This organizational resemblance may explain the phenomenon of mirror foci in epilepsy – a type of "energy metastasis.

In our view, as expressed in the mentioned article, cells in a multicellular organism face three almost mutually exclusive fates: mitosis, electrogenesis, or contraction. As a result, most myocytes are incapable of division, and the same applies to neurons. Dividing cells are incapable of muscle contraction or electrogenesis to the extent that is characteristic of cardiomyocytes, neurons, and multinucleated cells of striated muscle. In contrast, the cells of exocrine and endocrine glands divide intensively. This may be because they constantly expend plastic material, rather than energy material (as in the cases of electrogenesis and muscle contraction). Thus, secretion is not an alternative to mitosis—in fact, it likely promotes it. It appears that only processes consuming energy material (electrogenesis and muscle contraction) are alternatives to mitosis. We further explored the pathogenesis-based therapy of epileptic seizures, pathological cravings for alcohol and substances, and the pharmacological agents that could support successful treatment.

The most important aspect of these considerations is that the emergence of electrical currents in the brain, made possible by the presence of "chemical batteries," occurs because neurons lose a critical property of living compartments: the ability to reproduce. This loss enables neurons to dedicate all their resources to the complex intercellular interactions involving synapses, dendrites, axons, neurotransmitters, and electrical currents – all of which these structures exist to support.