Scientific advances are pointing researchers to new ideas about how to reduce the side effects of epilepsy medications and improve therapy options for those resistant to current medications. Ongoing studies in animals and people are also illuminating the subtle changes that take place in the brain shortly before seizures begin. This insight could one day lead to new devices that predict seizure onset and interrupt abnormal brain cell activity, preventing seizures from starting.

Watch the video of the first patient in Kentucky to receive a brain implant to treat epilepsy.

WKYT. Youtube. Accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBq297RfEsQ on September 4, 2016.

1. Define a seizure
2. Differentiate a seizure from epilepsy.
3. Which area of the brain is involved in seizures? How do certain neurotransmitters play a role in some seizures?
4. Review the pros and cons of using implants to treat diseases such as epilepsy. Do you think these implants are more promising than the traditional treatments?