[Research] Microchips to control seizures?????

[No-brainer]

This afternoon I was listening to the radio (to a show called "Spark" on CBC radio dealing with technology) and I heard that some scientists are experimenting with using microchips to help control seizures.

So I did a quick web search and here's an excerpt from one of the results:[INDENT]

From The Dana Foundation

[/I]Research Holds Promise for New Epilepsy Treatments
By Elizabeth Norton Lasley
May 01, 2008
(Sorry, I can't post the link ... I'm too "young".)

" ... One, the Intercept Epilepsy Control System, is being developed by Medtronic Inc. of Minneapolis (the company that developed a deep brain stimulator for Parkinson’s disease). A form of deep brain stimulation, the Intercept system uses electrodes surgically implanted in the thalamus, which are connected by a wire down the patient’s neck to a battery pack in the chest. The electrodes act as a real-time EEG, detecting abnormal electrical activity in the brain and sending a corrective signal to the thalamus (an area that regulates movement and is thought to play a role in controlling seizures).

A second device, the Responsive Neurostimulator System, is under development at Neuropace Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. It is essentially a microchip beneath the skull, connected to electrodesthat can be implanted in a variety of locations and deliver bursts of electricity to disrupt seizure activity."

Maybe this is old news ... but it's news to me!

[Nakamova]

Yes, the RNS is a newer variant on the VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulator) that a number of CWE members have. Essentially a pacemaker for the brain.

Here are some links from the CWE archive where it's mentioned.

http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/...rcept-epilepsy
Intercept Epilepsy Control System
VNS vs. neuropace