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Transcranial focused ultrasound pulsation suppresses pentylenetetrazol induced epilepsy in vivo
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal neuron discharge, and one-third of epilepsy patients suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). The current management for DRE includes epileptogenic lesion resection, disconnection, and neuromodulation. Neuromodulation is achieved through invasive electrical stimulus including deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, or responsive neurostimulation (RNS). As an alternative therapy, transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) can transcranially and non-invasively modulate neuron activity.Super refractory status epilepticus in Lafora disease interrupted by vagus nerve stimulation: A case report
Refractory and super refractory status epilepticus (RSE/SRSE) require effective action to avoid death or serious and irreversible consequences on neurological functions. Regrettably, there is a considerable lack of evidence on the optimal treatment strategy [1]. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), an approved chronic therapy for pharmacoresistant epilepsy, was initiated acutely in less than 40 reported patients with RSE/SRSE, interrupting 74% of cases [2]. However, several studies failed to provide adequate information on patient clinical characteristics, concomitant and previous treatments, stimulation protocols and data on long-term prognosis [2].The role of the dorsal anterior insula in ecstatic sensation revealed by direct electrical brain stimulation
An ecstatic phenomenon is an altered state of consciousness with a sense of “hyper-reality”, and a complete present-moment awareness with a feeling of union with the Universe. A better understanding of the network mechanisms underlying this fascinating subjective experience may help to unravel some mysteries of human consciousness. Insula has been recently proposed to be a key region to elicit these symptoms.Two indications, one target: Concomitant epilepsy and Tourettism treated with Centromedian/parafascicular thalamic stimulation
The Centromedian/parafascicular (CM/Pf) thalamic nuclear complex is a deep brain stimulation (DBS) target for medically refractory Tourette syndrome (TS) as well as for patients affected by resistant generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures [1–3].Brain (Hyper)Excitability Revealed by Optimal Electrical Stimulation of GABAergic Interneurons
Normal brain functions require input from local GABAergic interneurons onto pyramidal cells to maintain a balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes in cortical circuits [1]. This balance is of utmost importance and many neurological disorders are characterized by a disrupted function of GABAergic interneurons leading to impaired neuronal discharge and the associated symptomatology (see review in Reference [2]). This dysregulation can be either diffuse as in autism spectrum disorders [3,4], Down syndrome [5], and mood disorders [6], or more focal as in chronic pain [7] and epilepsy [8], as demonstrated in animal models for these diseases.Anterior Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation: Functional Activation Patterns in a Large Animal Model
While surgical resection of epileptogenic brain regions is the first option for treatment-refractory epilepsy patients, an estimated 40% of patients with localized epilepsy are not surgical candidates due to eloquence of the epilepsy onset zone. Increasingly, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is being considered as an alternative option, as it can modulate the epileptic network and is non-ablative. The anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) is a DBS target in epilepsy due to its established connectivity within the Papez circuit and its widespread thalamocortical projections.Asynchronous Distributed Multielectrode Microstimulation Reduces Seizures in the Dorsal Tetanus Toxin Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Among the different epilepsy syndromes, mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is the most drug resistant [1]. Electrical stimulation has shown promising but limited results for controlling seizures in cases where drugs have proven ineffective [2–4]. However, the electrical stimulation parameter space, including different spatio-temporal stimulation patterns, remains largely unexplored.The Photoparoxysmal Response Reflects Abnormal Early Visuomotor Integration in the Human Motor Cortex
Visual-paired associative stimulation (V-PAS) is a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technique able to investigate long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD)-like plasticity in the primary motor cortex (M1) arising through early visuomotor integration.A Meta-analysis of the Cortical Silent Period in Epilepsies
The cortical silent period (CSP) following transcranial magnetic stimulation reflects GABAB-mediated inhibition in the primary motor cortex (M1) and could contribute to understand the pathophysiological substrates of epileptic conditions. Increased CSP duration has been reported in idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and in partial epilepsy (PE) involving the M1, although other studies yielded discordant findings. We used meta-analysis to systematically assess the consistency of CSP changes in untreated patients with epilepsies.Scalp-Recorded Evoked Potentials as a Marker for Afferent Nerve Impulse in Clinical Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a palliative treatment for drug resistant epilepsy for which the efficacy and safety are well established. Accumulating evidence suggests that ascending vagal signals modulate abnormal cortical excitability via various pathways. However, there is no direct evidence for an ascending conduction of neural impulses in a clinical case of VNS.
