Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026
Robotic-Guided Stereoelectroencephalography for Invasive Epilepsy Monitoring
Published on: June 13, 2025
Epilepsy: Five new things
Chutima Saipetch1, Ezekiel Sachs1, Zulfi Haneef1
1Baylor College of Medicine (CS), Houston, TX; Emory University (ES), Atlanta, GA; and Baylor College of Medicine and the VA Medical Center (ZH), Houston, TX.
Purpose Of Review:
Technological advance has revolutionized epilepsy management recently. Herein, we review some recent developments.
Recent Findings:
Responsive neurostimulation (Food and Drug Administration [FDA]-approved 2013) works by continuous analysis of brain rhythms and direct brain stimulation on detecting patterns thought to be epileptogenic, thereby aborting seizures. Cardio-responsive vagus nerve stimulation (FDA-approved 2015) is an improvement over traditional vagus nerve stimulation systems, taking advantage of the fact that 80% of seizures are associated with tachycardia. Automated tachycardia detection leads to vagus nerve stimulation to abort seizures. In MRI-guided stereotactic laser ablation (developed 2012), a directed laser emitting fiberoptic catheter is used to ablate epileptogenic lesions. The procedure can be completed in 3 to 4 hours, potentially under local anesthesia and with next-day discharge. Perampanel (FDA-approved 2012) is a promising new class of AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid)-antagonist antiseizure therapy. Meanwhile, a millennia-old remedy for epilepsy, cannabis, is staging a comeback with recent legal and social permissiveness accelerating research into this use.
Summary:
The coming years will demonstrate how these recent advances in device and drug management will improve the care of epilepsy.
