A virtual brain capable of reconstructing theepilepsy was carried out by Inserm and CNRS researchers, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Neuroimage. This technological development helps to better understand the disease and to prepare for surgical interventions.
Epilepsy affects 1% of the world’s population, but in very different ways and following very many mechanisms. The need for personalized treatment is a public health reality, especially since half of patients show no signs visible on MRI, the cause of their epilepsy remaining unknown.
Thanks to this virtual brain and mathematical models, the scientists succeeded in reproducing the place of initiation of seizures.epilepsy and their mode of propagation. “This brain therefore has a real value in predicting the functioning of seizures for each patient, which offers a much more precise diagnosis”, recalls the CNRS press release.
Improving surgical management
In this study, the researchers recall that 30% of patients cannot be treated with medication, so they are forced to undergo an operation. Thanks to this virtual brain, surgeons will be able to specify the area of intervention and repeat the gestures of the operation to intervene as precisely as possible, thus reducing the risk of invasive actions.
The researchers are currently working on clinical trials to confirm the results of their discovery. This technology is also being tested on other pathologies affecting the brain, such asstroke, Alzheimer’s diseaseneurodegenerative diseases, or multiple sclerosis.
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