Predict and prevent seizures with a brain implant?

A wonderful technology that could significantly improve the quality of life for some of the 2 million people with seizures in the United States. Apparently, 30-40% of those with seizure disorders don't have any control or benefit from medications.

From Science Daily:

Researchers at the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center are enrolling patients in a study of the Responsive Neurostimulator System (RNS) made by Neuropace to determine if it is effective in stemming seizures. The system contains a computer chip that detects seizures and then delivers electric current to the brain to stop them.

This part is fascinating:

Patients will also receive a device that is able to scan the chip for information about seizures just by holding a wand over the scalp, he said. The information can then be downloaded by the patient onto a computer and sent via telephone to epilepsy researchers to review.

They are even looking for more participants:

Participants in the RNS study must be from 18 to 70 years of age and meet the following requirements:
have disabling (significant enough to impair functional abilities or day-to-day life activities) motor simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures and/or secondarily generalized seizures; failed treatment with a minimum of two antiepileptic medications; and experienced an average of three or more disabling seizures every 28 days for three consecutive periods prior to enrollment and have no more than two regions that induce seizures in the brain.

For more information or to participate in the study, please call 1-800-Jeff-now, 215-955-4672 or 1-866-904-6630.