Hippocampal stimulation in the treatment of epilepsy

Neuromodulation is one of the fastest growing fields in neurosurgery, as reflected by the growing interest in the use of electrical brain stimulation (EBS) to treat drug-resistant epilepsy, pain, and movement disorders. Hippocampal stimulation should be regarded as an experimental therapy for epilepsy, and patients considered for this intervention should do so in the context of a well-designed randomized controlled trial. Only well-conducted, blinded, randomized trials, followed by long-term systematic observation will yield a clear picture of the effect of this promising therapy, and will help guide its future use. This article provides a critical review of the best available evidence on hippocampal stimulation for epilepsy.