New Subcutaneous Eeg Device Offers Breakthrough In Epilepsy Monitoring

New investigation from nan Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) astatine King's College London successful business pinch nan Mayo Clinic and UNEEG medical, has recovered that an physics instrumentality placed nether nan scalp is an effective and feasible intends of accurately search epilepsy. 

In a landmark study, published successful Epilepsia and funded by nan Epilepsy Foundation of America, researchers demonstrated that seizures tin beryllium tracked successful nan location environment, giving clinicians entree to information that could person a melodramatic effect connected nan measurement successful which epilepsy is treated successful nan future. 

Tracking epileptic seizures complete clip is challenging and relies upon a personification keeping a subjective diary. It is an unreliable format, arsenic group pinch epilepsy tin acquisition seizures without realising, owed to impairment of consciousness and representation loss, aliases mightiness misinterpret respective symptoms arsenic seizures erstwhile they are not. This is peculiarly important for those pinch curen resistant epilepsy, who person ongoing seizures contempt curen pinch anti-seizure medicine – known to hap successful astir a 3rd of group pinch epilepsy. 

Novel subcutaneous electroencephalography (sqEEG) systems - consisting of a mini electrode placed beneath nan tegument – person been projected arsenic a intends of overcoming this challenge, but nan feasibility, acceptability and wide objective inferior of these systems had not been tested until now. 

sqEEG is an AI powered miniature implantable EEG for existent life monitoring of group pinch epilepsy. It is astir nan size of a UK lb coin and has a mini 10cm ligament attached. Under section anaesthetic, it is placed down nan receptor beneath nan scalp and nan ligament is directed to wherever nan seizures are expected to occur. The sqEEG wirelessly communicates pinch an outer recorder attached pinch an adhesive pad down nan receptor and fixed pinch a magnet aliases clip from which clinicians and researchers are capable to entree nan data. 

This study recruited 10 adults pinch curen resistant epilepsy from King's College Hospital and St. George's University Hospital. They were past asked to grounds arsenic overmuch information arsenic they could complete nan people of 15 months, while besides keeping a seizure diary and keeping way of their wellness and fittingness via a wearable fittingness tracker. 

Over nan people of nan study period, almost 72,000 hours of real-world brainwave information were collected, capturing 754 seizures. Participants mostly reported that nan implant was acceptable and unobtrusive, pinch half signaling for much than 20 hours a day. 

Researchers analysed nan information and made respective cardinal observations. When comparing nan physics information to nan participants' diaries, nan participants had only correctly recorded 48 per cent of their episodes. Conversely, much than a 4th (27 percent) of episodes that they'd recorded successful their diaries were not associated pinch seizure activity. 

Professor Mark Richardson, Paul Getty III Professor of Epilepsy astatine King's IoPPN and nan study's elder writer said, "It is captious that group pinch curen resistant epilepsy are capable to entree nan champion imaginable care. This is made importantly much challenging by nan truth that clinicians must trust connected diligent reporting to found erstwhile episodes person taken place. 

"Our study has been capable to supply a captious and viable replacement to relying connected self-reported episodes. A mini locator placed nether nan tegument was capable to observe seizures acold much accurately than nan participants themselves." 

Epileptic seizures tin broadly beryllium divided into 3 abstracted groups; nonconvulsive pinch preserved awareness, nonconvulsive pinch impaired awareness, and convulsive. The participants were required to statement down nan quality of nan type of section they knowledgeable arsenic good arsenic erstwhile it took place. Researchers again recovered that nan sqEEG strategy was capable to much accurately way nan type of seizure knowledgeable versus nan participants' diaries. 

The expertise to show seizures successful nan existent world, accurately collecting information connected nan type and timing that they hap will beryllium an invaluable instrumentality for clinicians moving forwards, and should hopefully person a large effect connected really we attack nan curen of this life-threatening condition. 

While this is an important measurement forwards, it's now captious that we behaviour larger tests to further validate this technology, pinch a position to hopefully making this disposable to everyone successful need." 

Dr. Pedro Viana, Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Neurologist astatine King's IoPPN and study's lead author

Dr. Benjamin Brinkmann, Ph.D., Professor of Neurology astatine Mayo Clinic said, "Overall, these results show that Subscalp EEG devices are capable to supply nonsubjective accusation astir seizures and encephalon activity complete agelong timeframes. This exertion could supply physicians and patients pinch caller insights astir semipermanent patterns and thief optimize their epilepsy treatment." 

Jonas Duun-Henriksen, Senior Director AI & Science astatine UNEEG aesculapian said, "This study is simply a important milestone for UNEEG medical. While we've agelong heard from some group surviving pinch epilepsy and their treating physicians that they are very satisfied pinch our strategy and helped amended outcome, this is nan first clip a study based connected much than a afloat twelvemonth of continuous EEG recordings confirms those experiences. We've gained valuable quantitative insights passim nan study, and we're particularly grateful for nan valuable feedback from nan clinicians astatine King's College London - which we've already started incorporating into our solution to further heighten its objective value." 

This activity was supported by nan Epilepsy Foundation's Epilepsy Innovation Institute My Seizure Gauge Project.