Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders is characterized mainly by seizures. Dr. Hui Ye spoke about this in his lecture and his article, “Neuromodulation with electromagnetic stimulation for seizure suppression: From electrode to magnetic coil” which Ye collaborated on with Dr. Stephanie Kaszuba. In their paper, Ye and Kaszuba highlighted common treatments for epilepsy. While there are anti-epileptic drugs on the market today, not many are very effective. If drugs do not work, there is also the option of surgically removing the part of the brain that causes the seizures to occur, but these procedures are irreversible and have many issues on their own such as losing function in certain areas of the brain (Ye & Kaszuba, 2019).
Aside from these options, there are more effective ways to treat epilepsy. Two options for electrical stimulation is either Deep bran stimulation, which involves implanting an electrode deep into different structures of the brain. This method has been found to be successful in treating and preventing seizures, however, complications from surgery or inflammation around the device can occur which can cause loss of function of structures within the brain. The second electrical stimulation method is Transcranial direct current stimulation. This method is done by placing a cathode and anode on a patient’s head and delivering a weak electric current which decreases cortical excitability. Although this method is safe it is not as effective (Ye & Kaszuba, 2019).
A new method of treatment that Ye and Kaszuba shed light on is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This treatment works through magnetic stimulation of neurons within the brain. This treatment is effective and does not have adverse effects such as surgical complications or biocompatibility issues (Ye & Kaszuba, 2019).
In an article published in Scientific American, “Treating Epilepsy’s Toughest Cases” by David Noonan different treatments for epilepsy and their effectiveness is discussed. The ineffectiveness of pharmaceutical treatments was discussed the most. Although there are many different anti-epileptic drugs, many people who suffer from epilepsy do not respond to these drugs. It was also said that new anti-epileptic drugs are not being worked on currently for those who do not respond to the ones out now. Another approach that was discussed was the electrode being implanted as the treatment for those who do not respond to drugs (Noonan, 2017).
Although transcranial magnetic stimulation was not discussed in this article. The discussion of ineffective drugs helped to enforce the idea that transcranial magnetic stimulation is the way forward for treating epilepsy. This article also talks about implantation of electrodes and these patients having to carry around battery packs for these electrodes to work which highlights the invasiveness of this procedure. With transcranial magnetic stimulation, invasiveness is not a problem, which makes it seem like one of the best options for treating epilepsy.
Ye, H., & Kaszuba, S. (2019). Neuromodulation with electromagnetic stimulation for seizure suppression: From electrode to magnetic coil. IBRO Reports, 7, 26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.ibror.2019.06.001
Noonan, David. Treating Epilepsy’s Toughest Cases. Scientific American, 2017. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/treating-epilepsy-rsquo-s-toughest-cases/
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