For the first time, a young Englishman suffering from epilepsy has been testing a neurostimulator implanted in his skull for eight months, which reduces seizures.
- Oran Knowlson, a 13-year-old boy with a form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, received an anti-epileptic device for the first time.
- This neurostimulator, which is manufactured by the British company Amber Therapeutics, is implanted in his skull and sends electrical signals deep into his brain.
- Since his operation in October 2023, the brain implant has reduced his seizures by 80%.
In the UK, 13-year-old Oran Knowlson has become the first patient in the world to receive an anti-epileptic device. According to the BBCthe teenager from Somerset (England) suffers from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a form of epilepsy resistant to treatment that appeared at the age of three. Since that age, he has suffered several daily seizures, the number of which can reach hundreds. The disease “stole his whole childhood! (…) He lost a lot of his skills”, his mother, Justine, told the British media outlet. She explained that the seizures could result in fainting, loss of consciousness, tremors and even breathing stops, in which case emergency medications would have to be used to resuscitate him.
Epilepsy: An implant placed in the skull that blocks or disrupts abnormal signals
As part of the CADET project, a series of trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of deep brain stimulation in cases of severe epilepsy, Oran underwent surgery in October 2023, at the age of 12, at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He was able to receive the neurotransmitter Picostim, which is manufactured by the British company Amber Therapeutics. This device emits a constant pulse of current, aimed at blocking or disrupting abnormal signals. As a reminder, epileptic seizures are triggered by abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain.
During the surgery, which lasted about eight hours, the medical team inserted two electrodes deep into the young Englishman’s brain until they reached the thalamus, a nerve center that plays an integrating role in most nerve functions. “The tips of the probes were connected to the neurostimulator, a square device 3.5 cm on each side and 0.6 cm thick that was placed in a space in Oran’s skull where bone had been removed. The neurostimulator was then screwed into the surrounding skull to secure it,” explains the BBC.
Neurostimulator reduced daytime epileptic seizures by 80%
After the operation, the teenager had a month to recover before the neurostimulator was turned on. When it works, the patient doesn’t feel it. He can recharge the device every day using wireless headphones, while continuing to do what he loves. Eight months later, the device has reduced the boy’s daytime epileptic seizures by 80%. “His nighttime seizures are also shorter and less severe. He is more alert. (…) I am slowly bringing him back to life. The team at Great Ormond Street have given us hope… now the future looks brighter,” her mother rejoiced.
Good news: Oran is not the only one who can test this brain implant. As part of the trial, three other children affected by Lennox-Gastaut syndrome will be equipped with the brain neurostimulator.
