This Catalyst Award is co-funded by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Lennox‑Gastaut syndrome is a severe form of childhood epilepsy. Children with this condition have frequent seizures that do not respond to medication, and they often experience a decline in developmental abilities. Deep brain stimulation can help but it requires invasive brain surgery. This project will study a non‑invasive alternative called low‑intensity focused ultrasound. This method uses precisely targeted sound waves to temporarily change activity in a deep brain region called the centromedian thalamus, which plays an important role in seizure pathways.
Using two mouse models of Lennox‑Gastaut syndrome, Dr. Soltesz and his team will, (1) determine ultrasound “doses” that can quickly and safely reduce activity in this brain region and (2) develop a closed‑loop system that detects seizures through EEG signals and automatically delivers ultrasound to shorten or stop them.
The overall goal of this research is to lay the groundwork for a child-ready, non-invasive therapy to treat seizures.
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