Mayo Clinic to Examine Neurostimulator in Patients with Epilepsy

Thursday, September 09, 2004

Media Contact:
Lynn Closway
Mayo Clinic
480-301-4222
closway.lynn@mayo.edu

For Immediate Release - Sept. 9, 2004

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Cardiac pacemakers were once thought of as novelties and medical miracles, but today they are commonplace and are regulating thousands of heartbeats around the world. Researchers at Mayo Clinic are looking at a new procedure that involves surgically placing a Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS) in the brain that may be able to suppress seizures in patients with epilepsy. This neurostimulator, thought of as a "pacemaker for the brain," would be implanted in epilepsy patients who have not responded to current treatment.

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain that causes recurrent seizures and affects nearly three million people in the United States. The use of antiepileptic medication can leave most patients free from seizures or lessen their frequency and intensity. Those who do not respond to these medications may be candidates for surgery, where the brain tissue responsible for triggering the seizure is surgically removed. In most cases, these patients still require the use of medication to control the seizures after surgery. The use of the neurostimulator would eliminate the need to remove brain tissue from these patients.

The self-contained device, not much bigger than a wristwatch, is implanted by neurosurgeons under the scalp and is connected to one or two wires placed in the brain. The neurostimulator constantly monitors the brain's electrical activity from these wires for onset of seizure activity. When seizure activity is detected, the neurostimulator delivers mild electrical stimulation through the wires in an attempt to stop the seizure before the patient experiences any symptoms.

"We are excited that this may offer a viable option for epilepsy patients whose seizures haven't responded to medications," said Richard S. Zimmerman, M.D., neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Ariz. "This is another option we can use to improve outcomes for our seizure patients."

Qualified participants are now being enrolled in a preliminary study for a minimum of three months during which time a seizure diary is maintained and they see a study doctor each month. Once the participant meets the seizure frequency criteria of four seizures per month for three consecutive months, he or she is eligible to receive the implanted neurostimulator. After the device is implanted participants are followed for a total of two years. During this time, the seizure type and frequency are assessed on a monthly basis, and the physical and emotional health is assessed at various intervals.

Mayo Clinic is one of 13 medical centers across the country conducting this clinical trial. Those interested in obtaining more information or participating in this research study should consult their physician or they may call the research study coordinator at
480-301-8260.

Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 202-licensed bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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