Article published by Deviscourse
A network of connections in the brain that are connected to seizures in persons with epilepsy have been found by researchers from the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. For individuals whose epilepsy cannot be controlled by medicine, the researchers hope that their findings, which were published in Brain, can aid in redesigning neurological procedures. Patients may be able to experience sustained respite from seizures by cutting off specific frontal lobe pathways.
There are 500,000 people in the UK with epilepsy and 50 million people have the condition worldwide. But one in three cannot control their epilepsy with medication. For those patients where the source of epilepsy can be pinpointed, neurosurgery can be curative. However, currently, only around 30% of patients remain seizure-free in the long-term in the frontal lobe.
The team analyzed MRI scans of 47 patients who had received surgery to their frontal lobes for epilepsy, years earlier. They found that patients had longer-term seizure freedom when nerve pathways in the brain that link the frontal lobe to deep brain structures (the thalamus and striatum, which are responsible for relaying sensory and motor signals, motor control, emotion and reward) were disconnected – with 88% of patients seizure free after three years and 80% seizure free at five years, compared to typical outcomes for epilepsy-treating neurosurgery (30%) in the frontal lobe.
Alongside preventing the recurrence of future seizures, the researchers found that cutting the connections did not have any negative effects on language or executive functions. Lead author and neurosurgeon, Mr Davide Giampiccolo (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Cleveland Clinic London), said: “Neurosurgery can be very effective for people with epilepsy that is not controlled with medication. However, in some patients, seizures recur years after surgery and, until now, it has not been clear why this happens.”