Safety of slow-pulsed transcranial electrical stimulation in acute spike suppression

Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2019 Dec;6(12):2579-2585. doi: 10.1002/acn3.50934. Epub 2019 Nov 11.

Abstract

We examined the effects of slow-pulsed transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) in suppressing epileptiform discharges in seven adults with refractory epilepsy. An MRI-based realistic head model was constructed for each subject and co-registered with 256-channel dense EEG (dEEG). Interictal spikes were localized, and TES targeted the cortical source of each subject's principal spike population. Targeted spikes were suppressed in five subject's (29/35 treatment days overall), and nontargeted spikes were suppressed in four subjects. Epileptiform activity did not worsen. This study suggests that this protocol, designed to induce long-term depression (LTD), is safe and effective in acute suppression of interictal epileptiform discharges.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy / therapy*
  • Electroencephalography*
  • Electrophysiological Phenomena*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / adverse effects*
  • Young Adult