Brain implant to treat epilepsy reduces patient’s seizures by 80%

The boy Oran Knowlson 12, who lives in the UK, had his seizures reduced by 80% after receiving a brain implant made to treat epilepsy . The boy was the first patient in the world to undergo the device insertion procedure.

Diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome , a rare form of epilepsy, at the age of three, Oran experienced many epileptic seizures a day. Often, the young man would lose consciousness and stop breathing, requiring resuscitation. He had the device implanted in October 2023 and, over the last eight months, his seizures have significantly reduced, both in frequency and severity.

According to the Mayo Clinic organization, the medical condition, also known as seizure disorder, is a brain change that causes recurrent seizures. There are many types of epilepsy and it is diagnosed if you have had at least two unprovoked seizures at least 24 hours apart.

The device was implanted in Oran at London’s Ormand Street hospital and is part of an initiative called the Children’s Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy Trial (CADET), in partnership with the site, the University of London (UCL), King’s Hospital College and the University of Oxford.

“Deep brain stimulation brings us closer than ever to stopping seizures in patients who have very limited effective treatment options. We are excited to build the evidence base to demonstrate the ability of deep brain stimulation to treat pediatric epilepsy and hope that in the coming years it will be a standard treatment that we can offer,” said Martin Tisdall, professor at UCL and pediatric neurosurgeon in a press release. .

Also in a press release, Justine, Oran’s mother, said that after the implant the boy is also more “talkative” and “engaged.” Three more patients diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome will receive the implant in the coming months. After that, 22 people will participate in the full study.

How the brain implant works

The device, recharged via headphones, is mounted on the skull and connected to electrodes, poles that conduct electrical current, in the brain, in order to reduce convulsive activity.

The device targets the thalamus, which is a center for electrical signals in the brain. The device is expected to block electrical pathways and therefore prevent the spread of seizures.