Brain implant which uses light waves to counteract seizures tested by Newcastle University academics
Tyneside scientists are testing a new technique which could revolutionise the treatment of epilepsy.
Newcastle University is leading a project to develop a brain implant which uses light waves to try to counteract the disrupted brain activity which causes epileptic seizures.
The 10m project, funded jointly by the Wellcome Trust and EPSRC, will last seven years and will involve designing a small device, about the size of a drawing pin, and implanting it into the patients brain. It will continually monitor and interact with brain activity.
The technique will also involve a form of gene therapy called optogenetics, which will be used to make the specific neurons which need to be targeted light sensitive.
Teams from Imperial College and UCL universities will collaborate with the North East academics on the CANDO project, which could help some of the 600,00 people in the UK who suffer from the condition.
People like Emma Dowling, 28, who has lived with epilepsy since she was a girl.
When she was diagnosed at eight years old she was put on drug treatment, and then later had surgery to remove part of her brain.
Emma said: I started hearing voices and would suddenly stop what I was doing when I was younger, which can be an early sign of epilepsy. The drugs I was put on have quite severe side effects and were affecting my memory, which made it harder at school.
They also became less effective as I got older and I started having seizures more frequently. Some would be Grand Mal seizures where Id shake on the floor but others would be lower key ones where my brain just zoned out. I had a couple of those during job interviews. It really affects your confidence.
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North East scientists test pioneering epilepsy treatment