Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 7, 2025

Electrophoretic Delivery of γ-aminobutyric Acid GABA into Epileptic Focus Prevents Seizures in Mice
Published on: May 16, 2019
Surgical Treatment of Drug-Resistant Generalized Epilepsy
Katie L Bullinger1, Abdulrahman Alwaki2, Robert E Gross3
1Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Dr, Atlanta, GA, USA. katie.bullinger@emory.edu.
Purpose Of Review:
To summarize current evidence and recent developments in the surgical treatment of drug-resistant generalized epilepsy.
Recent Findings:
Current surgical treatments of drug-resistant generalized epilepsy include vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and corpus callosotomy (CC). Neurostimulation with VNS and/or DBS has been shown to be effective in reducing seizure frequency in patients with generalized epilepsy. DBS for generalized epilepsy is primarily consisted of open-loop stimulation directed at the centromedian (CM) nucleus in the thalamus, though closed-loop stimulation and additional targets are being explored. CC can be effective in treating some seizure types and can be performed using traditional surgical techniques or with the less invasive methods of laser ablation and radiosurgery. This current literature supports the use of VNS, DBS and CC, alone or in combination, as palliative treatments of drug-resistant generalized epilepsy.
More Related Videos
11:29Anteromesial Temporal Lobectomy for Medically Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: An Operative Study
Published on: August 15, 2025
05:54Stereo-Electro-Encephalo-Graphy SEEG With Robotic Assistance in the Presurgical Evaluation of Medical Refractory Epilepsy: A Technical Note
Published on: June 13, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists
Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators
The key GABA pathway potentiators used in epilepsy management are as follows.
Benzodiazepines are a well-known class of drugs used for...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Sodium Channel Blockers
Sodium channel blockers modulate ion channels, particularly voltage-gated sodium channels. They block only sodium ion movement.
Among the most commonly prescribed antiepileptic drugs are...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
Psychosurgery
Historical Development of Psychosurgery
In the 1930s, Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz introduced a surgical procedure designed...