Stimulation of the medial septum should benefit patients with temporal lobe epilepsy
Abstract
Electrical stimulation of the septal nuclei via deep brain stimulating electrodes is proposed as a potentially beneficial therapy for medication-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy. In a multicenter study, stimulation of anterior thalamus was shown to reduce numbers of seizures, but decrease was only in the range of 40%. This might be improved with septal stimulation, which has strong and direct reciprocal connections with the hippocampal formation, the structure most involved in temporal lobe epilepsy. Medial septal neurons drive a 3-12 Hz theta rhythm in hippocampus of rodents. Theta rhythm is less obvious in human hippocampus, but it is present and it varies with cognitive tasks. The hippocampal theta rhythm is disrupted by seizures. In animal models, restoration of theta by sensory stimulation, septal electrical stimulation or cholinergic drugs infused into septum ameliorates seizures. Seizure activity in hippocampus is faithfully reflected in septal nuclei, and septum sometimes leads the seizure activity. A subset of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy have structural enlargement of their septal nuclei. At high levels of intensity, septal stimulation is subjectively pleasurable and strongly reinforcing. Rats will repeatedly ...Continue Reading
References
Disturbances of septohippocampal theta oscillations in the epileptic brain: reasons and consequences
Citations
The Medial Septum as a Potential Target for Treating Brain Disorders Associated With Oscillopathies.
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