"Pacemaker for the Brain" may Benefit Epilepsy

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- UCLA researchers are developing a new type of stimulator they believe could help many epilepsy patients who no longer respond to drug therapy and are not good candidates for surgery to treat their seizures.

The device, which has been dubbed a sort of "brain pacemaker" by its developers, delivers a therapy known as trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS). The TNS device may be implanted, but can also be worn on the belt with electrodes threaded up through the patient's clothing and attached to the sides of the face and head. Users can easily cover the electrodes with their hair or a cap.

TNS works by stimulating the trigeminal nerve, which runs up the face and into the head and plays a key role in epileptic seizures. In a study involving seven patients who wore the device for three months or more, four had a 50-percent or greater reduction in the number of seizures.

TNS is similar to another therapy used to stimulate the nerves in epilepsy -- vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). But unlike the VNS device, which must be implanted, the TNS device can be used externally, at least at first, to ensure it will work before a patient considers implantation. TNS also stimulates both sides of the brain, while VNS only stimulates one side.

The authors estimate 30 percent to 40 percent of all adults with epilepsy don't respond to standard drugs to treat the condition. This new device, if born out in additional studies, could be a significant benefit to these individuals. "The results of this pilot study support further investigation into the safety and efficacy of TNS for epilepsy," they write.

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SOURCE: Epilepsia, 2006;47:1213-1215