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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Analysis of Gene Expression Changes in the Rat Hippocampus After Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Thalamic Nucleus
Published on: March 8, 2015
Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus as adjunct treatment for refractory epilepsy
Adrian Handforth1, Antonio A F DeSalles, Scott E Krahl
1Department of Neurology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA. charles.handforth@med.va.gov
Purpose:
We studied the efficacy and safety of bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for refractory partial-onset epilepsy in two cases.
Methods:
This was an open treatment pilot study for subjects who had failed numerous medications and had seizure injuries. Seizure counts and adverse events were collected during a 3-4 month baseline, and for 26-32 months after DBS surgery, with AEDs held constant.
Results:
Case 1, age 45, with bitemporal seizures, had about half the seizure frequency but still fell with injuries. Case 2, age 46, with left frontal encephalomalacia, had a frequency reduction of about one-third, but a more meaningful reduction of seizure severity and injuries.
Conclusions:
Subthalamic DBS partly reduced partial-onset seizures, but the quality of life was more affected by seizure-related injuries.
