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Cole ER, Grogan DP, Laxpati NG, Fernandez AM, Skelton HM, Isbaine F, Gutekunst CA, Gross RE. Evidence supporting deep brain stimulation of the medial septum in the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia 2022; 63:2192-2213. [PMID: 35698897 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Electrical brain stimulation has become an essential treatment option for more than one third of epilepsy patients who are resistant to pharmacological therapy and are not candidates for surgical resection. However, currently approved stimulation paradigms achieve only moderate success, on average providing approximately 75% reduction in seizure frequency and extended periods of seizure freedom in nearly 20% of patients. Outcomes from electrical stimulation may be improved through the identification of novel anatomical targets, particularly those with significant anatomical and functional connectivity to the epileptogenic zone. Multiple studies have investigated the medial septal nucleus (i.e., medial septum) as such a target for the treatment of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. The medial septum is a small midline nucleus that provides a critical functional role in modulating the hippocampal theta rhythm, a 4-7-Hz electrophysiological oscillation mechanistically associated with memory and higher order cognition in both rodents and humans. Elevated theta oscillations are thought to represent a seizure-resistant network activity state, suggesting that electrical neuromodulation of the medial septum and restoration of theta-rhythmic physiology may not only reduce seizure frequency, but also restore cognitive comorbidities associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Here, we review the anatomical and physiological function of the septohippocampal network, evidence for seizure-resistant effects of the theta rhythm, and the results of stimulation experiments across both rodent and human studies, to argue that deep brain stimulation of the medial septum holds potential to provide an effective neuromodulation treatment for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. We conclude by discussing the considerations necessary for further evaluating this treatment paradigm with a clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Cole
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Nealen G Laxpati
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Alejandra M Fernandez
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Henry M Skelton
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Faical Isbaine
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Claire-Anne Gutekunst
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Robert E Gross
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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