The struggle to get an accurate diagnosis. The trial-and-error search for a treatment to bring seizures under control. The limited options available if standard medication doesn’t work. People with epilepsy today face the same problems that have existed for decades.
However, while the problems caused by epilepsy may be as old as time, new technology could finally help solve some of these problems once and for all.
Whether it’s cutting-edge innovation, or everyday devices like smartphones and smartwatches, technology could hold the key to better diagnosis, monitoring, and control of seizures.
‘Enabling Technologies’ is one of the key research themes for the Epilepsy Research Institute. Included in this theme is research to develop and harness technology to help people with epilepsy lead the lives they want and deserve.
In this feature article, we look at just a few examples of how technology is not only bringing hope for the future but making a real difference to people’s lives right now.
Making diagnosis easier with OPM-MEG
One technique used to diagnose epilepsy is magnetic encephalography (MEG). Traditionally, this needed patients to remain still in a special room during their brain scan, which is a real challenge for anyone, particularly for children with epilepsy.
Now, the world’s first wearable alternative is available, called OPM-MEG (optically pumped magnetoencephalography). OPM-MEG uses highly sensitive sensors embedded in a helmet designed specifically for children. This wearable device allows children to move around more, whilst still collecting detailed and accurate brain activity data. This ensures earlier and more accurate diagnosis allowing for better treatment options and outcomes.
OPM-MEG was developed with the help of Epilepsy Research Institute-funded scientists Dr Tim Tierney and Dr Umesh Vivekananda, from University College London, in collaboration with the charity Young Epilepsy.
Improving surgery for treating epilepsy
For the one in three people whose seizures are not controlled by standard anti-seizure medication, surgery might be an option. However, identifying the part of the brain causing seizures can be a challenge. To help this, scientists in France have developed computer models from brain scans they call ‘virtual brains’. These could help surgeons more accurately identify the problem areas of the brain and better plan operations to remove them, bringing the epilepsy under control with fewer side-effects.
Depending on the location of the problematic brain region, targeting it with current surgical techniques may be impossible. However, excitingly a new transformative surgical technique was approved in May 2024 by NHS England. The technique uses laser beam therapy which can target hard-to-reach regions in the brain with a fibre optic cable less than 1.5 mm thick. What’s more, patients can recover much more quickly from surgery, meaning they can get back to normal life sooner.
Wearable tech for monitoring and controlling seizures
Wearable technology could make the dream of predicting seizures a reality, and one example is the EEG@Home project, funded by Epilepsy Research Institute. People with epilepsy were asked to record their own EEGs with a special cap, as well as wear smartwatches to record movement, heartrate, and sleep patterns. It is hoped that the study will help people find better ways to monitor their epilepsy and its effects on their life. In the future, it might also help to predict when seizures might occur.
In another advance for wearable epilepsy technology, in June 2024 a British teenager received a brain implant to control his seizures, in the first procedure of its kind in the world. 13-year-old Oran Knowlson, who has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, had a neurostimulator fitted under his skull which sends electrical signals deep into his brain. Previously, he might have had hundreds of seizures a day, but the procedure has reduced his daytime seizures by 80%.
The promise of technology
Not every problem that people with epilepsy face will be solved by technology. For some people, however, new technology is already providing an easier diagnosis, better monitoring of symptoms, and improving their treatment and care.
When these technological breakthroughs become more widespread, more people will be able to control their seizures, move out of the shadow of their epilepsy, and get on with living the life they deserve.
Find out more about our Enabling Technologies, one of the six core themes of the Epilepsy Research Institute’s work.
