Epilepsy, a lifelong illness, has recently received attention. A teenager from the United Kingdom with severe epilepsy is the world's first person to get a new type of brain implant to help manage seizures.
The new therapy looks to be successful since it has reduced his daytime seizures by 80%.
How Deep Brain Stimulation Can Change Your Life
The 13-year-old Somerset resident Oran Knowlson suffers from untreatable Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. His quality of life was severely hampered by the dozens or perhaps hundreds of seizures he experienced every day, which began when he was just three years old.
Before the implant, Oran's seizures often knocked him out and stopped his breathing. He required round-the-clock care and was highly susceptible to epilepsy-related sudden, unexpected death (SUDEP).
October 2023 saw an eight-hour operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London. It formed a research component involving the Universities of Oxford, King's College Hospital, and University College London. Two probes were inserted deep into Oran's brain at the thalamus, a crucial center for neuronal information.
The wires were hooked up to a Picostim neurostimulator, a 3.5 cm square and 0.6 cm thick device made by Amber Therapeutics in the UK. This thing was put into a hole in Oran's head and held in place with screws.
After Oran had surgery, the device was turned on and started sending him constant mild electrical stimulation to stop the abnormal electrical activity that causes seizures. The outcomes have been truly impressive.
Oran's mother, Justine, said her son is happier, more alert, and more interested in daily tasks. She said that now that he is 13 years old, he is more likely to stand up for himself, which she thinks is suitable for his quality of life because it helps him express himself better.
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A Bright Future for Treating Epilepsy
This new and innovative method is a big step forward in treating severe epilepsy, especially in people who don't get better with regular treatments. The consultant pediatric neurosurgeon Martin Tisdall led the surgery team, who was very happy with the results.
Tisdall said that Oran's epilepsy had utterly changed the lives of him and his family. People said seeing him ride a horse and regain his freedom was truly unique. Tisdall also said they were excited to be a part of their journey.
The Picostim neurostimulator can be charged daily with headphones that Oran can wear. This lets him do the things he likes without being interrupted. The gadget is more valuable and easy to use because it can keep sending electrical stimulation to the patient without them feeling it.
The Child's Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy Trial (CADET) project is running this trial to see if deep brain stimulation for severe epilepsy is safe and effective. The project wants to enroll three more children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome to do more tests. Eventually, they want to enroll 22 kids in a full trial.
In the past, seizures were treated with deep brain stimulation; however, the neurostimulator was implanted in the thorax, and wires were routed to the brain. This made it more likely that an infection would happen or the device would stop working. The new implant method in the skull lowers these risks, improving patient results.
The study team wants to improve the neurostimulator so that it can react instantly to changes in brain activity. This will help stop seizures before they happen. This discovery could change the way epilepsy is treated, giving people with this challenging disease new hope.
Oran's story demonstrates how severe seizure sufferers can have their lives transformed with deep brain stimulation. The accomplishment of this study indicates that improved therapies are feasible and will enhance the lives of patients and their families. People with epilepsy have new hope for a healthier life free from seizures as the research goes on.
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