Transcranial electrical stimulation replaces invasive deep-brain stimulation for treating epilepsy
August 12, 2012
Replacing invasive deep brain stimulation surgery (credit: Thomasbg/Wikimedia Commons)
In July, we reported on a micromagnetic stimulation system that is said to be safer than implanted electrodes for deep-brain stimulation to control Parkinson’s disease, other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain. It uses a form of magnetic stimulation, instead of implanted electrodes, and is not as bulky as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), another alternative.
Now neuroscientists at Rutgers University, NYU, and University of Szeged (Hungary) have developed another approach for controlling epileptic seizures more safely and compactly: a closed-loop (feedback) system using transcranial electrical stimulation (TES).
Like the micromagnetic stimulation system the TES system is not as invasive, but uses electrical signals instead of magnetic, so no coils are required.
With the TES system, stimulation is only applied when abnormal brainwave patterns emerge, and instead of being implanted deeply, using invasive surgery, the electrodes are placed within the skull. They could also be placed non-invasively outside the skull, the researchers say.
The researchers tested the system using rodents with petit mal epilepsy and found that the stimulation resulted in a more than 60% decrease in the duration of episodes and the fraction of time spent in episodes, compared to deep-brain stimulation.
Closed-loop system detects neural patterns of seizure, which trigger transcranial electrical stimulation, applied to the specific locations in the skull (credit: Antal Berényi et al./Science)
Comments (3)
by Kay
Hello There Haley,
I am a 3rd Year Biomedical engineering college student, I am 20, and I am highly impressed by your inquisitive approach to help your best friend.
Just last week, I was thinking to make a non invasive device to be worn in the head, so to control such seizures.
If our team makes it, how we would like to help you out.
please send me an email : kauthar.usop(at)gmail.com
We would love to hear from you!
take care both of you.
by Haley Robinson
Hi, my name is Haley Robinson, im 13 years old and live in Arma, Kansas. My best friend has epilepy. The doctors tell him he wont live past 25. If he had this done to him, this surgery, would his life span go up? If so, could he get this surgery? Where could he get it? How much would it cost? He’s 15 and knowing the majority of his life, is gone. Please, i just want to know if this would help him. He has so much to live for, has so many goals, everytime he talks about them, he ends up saying “That is if i live long enough to” I dont want pity, i am not trying to give you a sad story so you will feel bad for him or i. I just think you need to know whats going on.. Please give me a reply back.
Thanks,
Haley
by Bri
Hi Haley! I think it’s wonderful that you are searching to find out what’s going on, in terms of epilepsy. It’s like a lightning storm inside the brain. The TES system is being used to change the pattern of nerve firings that make up this storm. The first attempts to do this used tiny wires placed in the brain. With this system they are only placing the electrodes on top of the brain, just under the skull. It’s really only experimental. Only a few people have had it done to them as volunteers. Your friend is a little young still, to be allowed to volunteer. His parents would have to ask that he be chosen.If you click on the names at the bottom of the article, it will bring you to the actual published article, and where the research is being done. I think Amara the editor for this web site will help you with that. In the mean time, tell your friend that he has a good chance to be normal and live a full life. Doctors are very busy and often don’t know about things that are being researched. They focus more on what they can do now. At this web site, we talk about the future of all technology and how it will affect us. Ray Kurzweil, the founder of this site has pointed out how science is learning things very fast now. Much faster than before. He says that in the next ten years, medicine will be able to fix most of the problems that we don’t understand now. This article is an example of what they are learning today. In five years, they might not even need to do the surgery. They might fix your friends epilepsy by some other way. I would tell your friend to be happy and enjoy his life now. He shouldn’t worry. It’s very good that you are trying to understand how you can help him. The two of you should continue trying to learn as much as you can about what is being done, and what they are learning. It will give both of you hope, despite how the doctors think that there is little hope for your friend to live past 25 years old. The two of you can learn great things about how powerful science is. Many of the things the two of you will learn, will help you both, in all the things you will do. Learning is a powerful light to guide your way through life. Always feel free to ask any question you might have. As I said Amara will probably get the information you ask for to you tomorrow.