A new framework to assess placement of electrodes in the brain for epilepsy surgery
Epilepsy is a chronic condition that is characterized by spontaneous recurring seizures. In clinical practice, the region which generates seizures is called the epileptic focus. The location of the focus can be localized by electrical measurement of brain activity, known as electroencephalography (EEG). This can be noninvasively placed on the scalp or invasively inserted into the brain for improved spatial accuracy. 30-40% of patients with epilepsy do not respond to antiseizure medication. For these patients a surgical intervention to remove the focus might be the only way to prevent seizures from occurring. However, currently only half of patients selected for surgery achieve post-operative seizure freedom. One reason may be due to the poor coverage of invasive electrodes in the brain tissue responsible for generating seizures. Research led by Kassem Jaber, working under the supervision of Dr. Birgit Frauscher at the Montreal Neurological Institute, resulted in the development of a spatial perturbation framework that evaluates whether invasive electrodes placed during pre-surgical evaluation adequately cover the epileptic focus.
Read the full story: https://can-acn.org/brain-star-award-winner-kassem-jaber/
Read the original scientific publication: Jaber, K., Avigdor, T., Mansilla, D., Ho, A., Thomas, J., Abdallah, C., Chabardes, S., Hall, J., Minotti, L., Kahane, P., Grova, C., Gotman, J. and Frauscher, B., 2024. A spatial perturbation framework to validate implantation of the epileptogenic zone. Nature Communications, 15(1), p.5253. https://rdcu.be/d6hnY