LOS ANGELES ― A non-invasive technique called low-intensity focused ultrasound (LOFU) holds promise for treating and preventing seizures in the most common form of epilepsy, suggests early research presented at the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting.
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) affects 50 million people, but anti-seizure medicines don’t work for up to a third and surgery is too risky for 60% of them. While previous research in animals has shown LOFU may reduce seizure frequency, this study in rats is the first to demonstrate that the treatment may help prevent seizures.
“If research in humans confirms our findings, LOFU could be used to prevent seizures in people at risk for developing TLE, including those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury or have a genetic predisposition,” said Sandesh Kamdi, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. “It could also be used to prevent seizures in people who are prone to develop TLE, offering a safe alternative for those who don’t respond well to medication or aren’t candidates for surgery.”
LOFU is a precise technique that uses sound waves to change the way proteins control electrical signals in brain cells without damaging surrounding tissues. It can alter brain activity by making neurons more likely to fire, or by calming overactive neurons. Because it does not produce heat, it does not damage cells, and it has the potential to manage conditions such as chronic pain, depression and epilepsy.
The researchers set out to understand how seizures develop and to determine if LOFU can prevent them from occurring after a brain injury. They injected kainic acid (KA) into two groups of adult male rats to prompt seizures, which don’t develop for two to four weeks.
The study included three rats in each of the following four groups:
- Untreated
- Received a procedure that mimicked LOFU (sham LOFU) 48 hours later
- Injected with KA, but did not have a procedure
- Injected with KA and had LOFU 48 hours later
The researchers determined that compared to the KA-injected rats that did not receive LOFU, those that did were much less aggressive and did not display anxious behavior. The treated rats had a significant decrease in seizure frequency and duration than those that weren’t treated. At eight weeks, the treated rats had an average of less than one seizure, while the untreated rats had an average of four seizures.
A related treatment, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease by ablating (removing) damaged tissues in the brain. Because LOFU uses sound waves to influence brain activity, there is less chance of tissue damage than with HIFU.
“Unlike other treatments, LOFU is non-invasive and may produce fewer side effects,” said Dr. Kamdi. “It can be administered repeatedly, allowing for flexible and individualized treatment. Its ability to target the affected area of the brain makes it a promising potential option for precision therapy in TLE.”
This preliminary study provides insights into how epilepsy develops and supports the validation of early non-invasive interventions for post-traumatic epilepsy, shifting the focus of epilepsy treatment toward a preventative approach, he said. The researchers plan to use additional animal models of traumatic brain injury to further validate the preventative effects of focused ultrasound on epilepsy development and spontaneous seizures. This will help them determine whether early focused ultrasound treatment can be applied more broadly, providing crucial preclinical data for future clinical trials at the University of Maryland and the Shock Trauma Center. This research will aim to transition epilepsy management from reactive surgical interventions to proactive preventative strategies.
*** AES 2024 news releases may contain updated data that does not match what is reported in the abstract.
For more information, visit the American Epilepsy Society online at aesnet.org. Join the AES social conversation today by following @AmEpilepsySoc on X and use the hashtag #AES2024.