Virtual Stimulation of the Interictal EEG Network Localizes the Epileptic Zone
August 19, 2024
Article Published by Frontiers in Network Physiology
For patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, successful localization and surgical treatment of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) can bring seizure freedom. However, surgical success rates vary widely because it is difficult to accurately identify the EZ in all patients. Highly epileptogenic regions often display increased levels of cortical excitability, which can be probed using single-pulse electrical stimulation (SPES), a technique in which brief pulses of electrical current are delivered to brain tissue. Researchers lead by recent CURE Epilepsy Taking Flight awardee Rachel June Smith built patient-specific network models from interictal intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) results to test whether a new, virtual approach using less-invasive stimulation methods could reveal information about the underlying brain network and identify highly excitable regions. They found that EZ regions identified through iEEG exhibited higher excitability than non-EZ regions when using the new non-invasive approach. This tool may eventually aid neurologists to pinpoint the EZ and be utilized to reduce reliance on capturing seizures in the hospital, ultimately improving surgical outcomes.