Brain implant warns of impending epilepsy seizures

The device, created by US medical device company NeuroVista, consists of a small patch of electrodes that measure brain wave activity. Over time, the device's software learns which patterns of activity indicate that a seizure is about to happen. When it detects such a pattern, the implant then transmits a signal through a wire to a receiver implanted under the wearer's collarbone. This alerts the wearer by wirelessly activating a handheld gadget with coloured lights – a red warning light, for example, signals that a seizure is imminent. The feasibility study was carried out recently on 15 patients by a team from the University of Melbourne. The results were mixed. Prof Mark Cook, who led the research, said if the technology could be proven it could help remove the unpredictable nature of epilepsy. He told the BBC: "Being able to predict the events with many minutes or hours lead time could have significant impact on independence. "This could change the way the illness is treated. For instance, our current strategy of giving medications continuously because of the unpredictable occurrence of events could alter the types of medications being developed. "Short acting therapies may prove to be effective without subjecting patients to the long term problems that currently available therapies may cause."