Focal cooling for epilepsy: an alternative therapy that might actually work

The therapy of focal epilepsy remains inadequate. Many patients who have localization-related seizures find themselves either overmedicated with anticonvulsants or suffering from frequent seizures. While surgical resection can lead to excellent outcomes in up to 60% of patients with neocortical epilepsy, there are obviously many who either fail surgery or are deemed inappropriate surgical candidates. We are currently determining the efficacy of local cooling for the therapy of certain focal epilepsies. We have attempted to adapt new technologies borrowed from electrical and mechanical engineering to develop cooling devices that will ultimately improve the diagnosis and therapy of these focal epilepsies. The present review describes the rationale for this research and our progress to date.