Scientists Develop Microchip Used to Detect Seizures to Cool Brain Cells Involved

By Adam Modzelesky
EpilepsyUSA staff
Posted: November 16, 2005

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recently developed a microchip that can detect an oncoming seizure and prevent it from happening by cooling the brain cells involved.

Led by Steven Rothman, M.D., Ph.D., the group of scientists aimed to develop a system that would chill the cells without the subject with epilepsy knowing what has occurred. The study cooled brain cells from body temperature (about 37 degrees Celsius) to around 22 degrees Celsius. They found that this stopped the pending seizures from spreading with no apparent harm to the cells. The study's results were recently published in the medical journal New Scientist.

The microchip, which is implanted in the subject with epilepsy's skull, has only been tested in rats and is a long way from being tested in humans. Researchers hope this will one day be a new solution for those with epilepsy for whom medication and surgery has not worked. The scientists are currently working to confirm their findings and to seek technical solutions to building an implantable cooling device.