Using Brain-Computer Interfaces as a Solution for Epilepsy
Picture this: you’re at school, then you feel it — strange, jerking movements in your body that tell you it’s happening again. You’re having a seizure. And this isn’t the first time.
In fact, you’re always thinking about it. Whether it’s at school, work, or in your sleep, the thought is always in the back of your mind. When will it happen next? How bad will it be?
For people with epilepsy, this is their reality.
Epilepsy is a condition that affects almost 1% of the world’s population. It may not sound like much at first, but that means that almost 75 million people suffer from epileptic seizures.
A third of them aren’t affected by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). And resective surgery, used for patients who don’t respond to AEDs, isn’t an option for everyone. So what’s the solution?
It’s simple: Brain-Computer Interfaces.
Using brain-computer interface (BCI), seizures can be detected in advance and the device can send signals that stop the seizures from ever happening. Meanwhile, the patient doesn’t feel a thing. They never even know that they were about to have another seizure.
What is Brain-Computer Interface?
BCI is a device capable of reading brain activity and then turning the signals into a message readable on a computer. It allows you to communicate with the brain. With BCIs, a more detailed picture of brain activity can be obtained, compared to other brain scans.
It can be invasive or non-invasive. Either a chip or other device can be inserted into the brain, or an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap can be worn. With the EEG cap, electrodes are attached to the scalp, and they read and send the signals to the brain.
Typically, there are three main parts of BCI:
- Sensors: For non-invasive detection, an EEG cap is placed directly on the head, as close to the brain as possible.
- Communication translation: the information received by the electrodes has to be able to be translated into information that can be read and understood on the computer.
- Real-time processing: As the electrodes and EEG amplifiers receive signals from the brain, it needs to be processed and recorded.
Brain-Computer Interface and Epilepsy
For epilepsy, BCI is a system that can send and receive signals and provide real-time detection and prediction of seizures, and then deliver electrical stimulation to stop the seizure before it even happens.
The BCI system is able to achieve responsive stimulation, which means that it’s able to read the state of the brain at the time that it’s sending the signals. During a seizure, the brain isn’t working as it’s supposed to, and a BCI system can recognize that, then send the signals that make the brain go back to normal.
Because of this, BCIs can send and receive more accurate information at a faster pace. There are also fewer side effects compared to other epilepsy treatment and less damage of neural tissue.
A BCI system meant to treat epilepsy has three parts, similar to those of a general BCI:
- Sensors that get the EEG signal from the brain, either through electrodes implanted in the brain or by electrodes placed on the scalp
- An algorithm that can predict and detect a seizure
- Communication to a device that can warn the doctor or epilepsy patient of a seizure or that can send electrical stimulation to stop or lessen the effect of the seizure
The Responsive Neurostimulator System (RNS)
The first BCI system capable of being implanted is still pretty new. It’s called the RNS system and it was created by NeuroPace to quickly detect and treat seizures. It was tested on four epilepsy patients, and generally, the treatment was safe and well received.
The device has become an award-winning technology in Silicon Valley. It’s made up of two tiny neurostimulators that connect to miniature wires placed on areas of the brain where seizures usually begin.
It includes a remote monitor that can be used to wirelessly get information from the device and send it to the Patient Data Management System, which the patient’s doctor can log onto anytime to look at up-to-date information about the patient’s seizures.
It’s implanted through a short surgery. The device is placed at the source of the seizures and is unnoticeable once the surgery is complete. The recovery is so short that the majority of patients are back home the day after. It’s also removable without damaging any parts of the brain tissue.
Patients who had the RNS system implanted reported several benefits:
- Improved physical wellbeing
- Better cognition
- Improved mental health
- Less worrying about seizures
Key Takeaways
- Brain-Computer Interface is a device that can read neural activity, then communicate it to a computer to be analyzed.
- Epilepsy can be easily treated by brain-computer interface because it can detect seizures and deliver stimulation that can stop them from occurring
- BCIs are more effective in treating epilepsy than other treatments
- The RNS system is a recent device that is implanted in the head and uses neurostimulators to prevent seizures
Thank you so much for reading! If you’re interested in learning more about RNS, visit https://www.neuropace.com