Epilepsy device implanted in UK boy’s skull stopped seizures by 80 percent

Epilepsy

is an incurable neurological illness that affects more than 50 million individuals globally. Although 70% of persons with epilepsy may control their condition with medication and surgery, the disease remains a major neurological challenge for those who have severe symptoms. But a recent trial provides new hope.
In a world first, a 13-year-old British kid with severe epilepsy tested a new

brain implant

implanted into his skull to regulate seizures.
According to a BBC story, the

neurotransmitter

sends electrical signals deep into Oran Knowlson's brain, reducing his daily seizures by 80%. Oran had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a treatment-resistant form of epilepsy, when he was three years old, and he suffered from dozens to hundreds of seizures per day for the rest of his life.
Sometimes the convulsions became so severe that he fell to the ground, trembled uncontrollably, and lost consciousness. He would occasionally stop breathing and require emergency resuscitation.

In October 2023, the boy's life began to improve following an eight-hour-long surgery to implant the neurotransmitter in his skull as part of a trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

How the skull-fitted neurotransmitter functions

Epilepsy seizures are caused by aberrant bursts of electrical activity in the brain. The device attempts to prevent or disrupt aberrant signals by delivering a continuous current pulse. After two electrodes were introduced deep into Oran's brain, the 3.5cm square and 0.6cm thick neurotransmitter was placed in a gap in Oran's skull where the bone had been removed and anchored.

After a month of recovery from surgery, the neurotransmitter was activated. Oran cannot feel the device when it is turned on and can recharge it every day using wireless headphones while engaging in activities he enjoys, such as watching television.
'A significant improvement in his seizures and quality of life...'
Seven months following the operation, Oran's mother, Justine, told the BBC that his epilepsy had much improved: he was happier, "more alert," with "no drop seizures during the day," and had a "much better quality of life." His nighttime seizures were also "shorter and less severe".
As part of the trial, three more children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome will get the deep brain neurostimulator.
Although deep brain stimulation had previously been used to treat pediatric epilepsy, the treatment was plagued with hazards such as infection following surgery and device failure, as neurotransmitters were put in the chest and wires ran up to the brain.
In the future, the study team hopes to make the neurotransmitter respond in real time to brain activity, preventing seizures before they occur.
(With agency inputs)