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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Human Epileptic Postoperative Cortical Tissue
Published on: October 26, 2014
The anticonvulsant effect of electrical fields
1Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA. sweinstein@cnmc.org
Abstract:
The use of electrical fields to treat epilepsy is undergoing increased scrutiny as an alternative to medications and resective surgery. Much recent attention has been focused on ionic channels and seizure control; however, nonsynaptic mechanisms may be crucial for seizure onset, raising the possibility of using electrical field application to abort seizures. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects may outlast the immediate treatment and possibly be a prophylactic intervention. This paper reviews the use of brain stimulation for treatment of epilepsy, but also cites instances where the antithetical results occur. The greatest detail focuses on disrupting the onset or shortening the seizure. The paper does not extensively review deep brain or vagal nerve stimulation.
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