New Study Shows Brain stimulation Counteracts Dangerous Side Effect of Seizures

In a newly published study, neurologists from Yale University have reawakened rats after seizures by stimulating parts of the brain involved in conscious awareness. The research may lead to treatments for individuals with epilepsy.

Loss of consciousness is a common and dangerous side effect of epileptic seizures. A study published this week in the journal Epilepsia, however, shows that activation of electrodes in key brain areas can awaken rats with induced seizures.

“At least a quarter of people with epilepsy have seizures that can’t be controlled,” said Dr. Hal Blumenfeld, professor of neurology, neurobiology, and neurosurgery, and senior author of the study. “Our hope is that for this population, brain stimulation can help reduce injuries and deaths that result from a loss of consciousness.”

Blumenfeld and colleagues brought rats back to consciousness after seizures by stimulating the thalamus and areas of the brain stem known to play a role in wakefulness. The rats immediately began to explore their cages again.

Additional testing needs to be done to determine if such brain stimulation can be conducted safely in humans, he said.

There may be as many as 500,000 epilepsy patients in the United States who suffer from chronic, treatment-resistant seizures, Blumenfeld estimated. These patients might be aided by implants of electrodes that could prevent loss of consciousness during and following seizures, he said.

Reference: “Thalamic stimulation to improve level of consciousness after seizures: Evaluation of electrophysiology and behavior” by Abhijeet Gummadavelli, Joshua E. Motelow, Nicholas Smith, Qiong Zhan, Nicholas D. Schiff and Hal Blumenfeld, 2 December 2014, Epilepsia.
DOI: 10.1111/epi.12872

Lead author of the paper is Yale’s Abhijeet Gummadavelli.

Primary funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health.

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