Technological Advancements Help Young Epilepsy Sufferer

Neuromodulation is a fascinating subject that looks like it will explode in popularity over the next decade or so. The technique involves providing electrical stimulation to a nerve to treat medical conditions. These conditions include chronic pain, involuntary movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, and other conditions like migraines, cluster headaches, incontinence and some psychiatric conditions. The technique has been used for many years, but the main drawback is that the treatment has mainly been offered as an outpatient service, meaning the patient has to visit the medical facility regularly for treatment.

In some cases the neuromodulation device can be implanted, such as in the case of heart pacemakers, but it usually involves a bulky battery pack that is connected by wires to the device. The battery pack can be outside the body, with wires through the skin, which has the risk of infection, or placed inside the body in an easy to reach location, for example, heart pacemaker battery packs are often placed under the pectoral muscles. The reason for this placement is that the batteries will need replaced through another operation, which adds risk. Rechargeable batteries are not allowed to be used for critical treatments as patients tend to forget to recharge them.

Now, new technology is coming together that could see neuromodulation devices implanted permanently. Smaller batteries that are more power dense have been developed. Solid-state batteries are also on their way, and they bring the benefit that they don’t have the same dangers as the liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries and therefore can be implanted safely. Another technology that will advance this area is wireless charging. There are a few companies working on solutions that will direct power towards a target to charge, which should be able to top up the implant battery regularly. Quite soon, we should have safe batteries that are small and power dense and can be charged remotely, which will revolutionalize neuromodulation. With or without user intervention, the electrical signal will to the nerve to be applied for treatment, not just when the next medical appointment. With neuromodulation implants in the body, tiny wireless transmitters and receivers will be able to catalogue status update and allow the doctor to tailor the pulses. It is a really exciting time for this kind of treatment.

Showing how far the technology has come, is an article on BBC news about a young boy in the UK who has had an implant fitted to his skull that will perform deep brain stimulation to treat his epilepsy. Before the Picostim neurotransmitter from UK company Amber Therapeutics was fitted, 13-year old Oran Knowlson sometimes had hundreds of seizures each day. The neurostimulation device has cut the number of seizures by 80%. The 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.6 cm device was placed in a gap in the Oran’s skull in place of bone which had been removed. The battery of the device is rechargeable through wireless headphones.

Oran is part of the CADET project with three other children. The programme is intended to assess the safety and effectiveness of deep brain stimulation for severe epilepsy. The surgeon implanted two electrodes deep into Oran’s brain until they reached the thalamus. The electrodes deliver a constant pulse of current that attempts to block abnormal signals. Currently, the current pulse is delivered constantly, but in the future, scientists hope to improve the device to only provide the current when required.

BBC