Invasive and Non-Invasive Neuromodulation in Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
A special issue of NeuroSci (ISSN 2673-4087).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 137
Special Issue Editor
Interests: neurosurgery; neuro-oncology; functional neurosurgery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Drug-resistant epilepsy represents about 30% of all adult and pediatric epilepsy cases. The clinical, psychological, social, and work-related burden of this condition is generally very heavy; in addition, in children, it may interfere with cognitive and neurological development. Despite the introduction of novel anti-seizure drugs (ASDs), in most cases, control over seizures is still poor. Surgical treatment of the epileptic focus by means of microsurgical resection is widely recognized as a valid option to try to achieve seizure control. However, in many cases, direct surgical treatment can be deemed infeasible for a range of reasons, such as the absence of a definite focus, multiple foci, or foci in eloquent areas. In these patients, a possible alternative is neuromodulation, which can be invasive or non-invasive. Neuromodulation can allow the functional modification of the epileptogenic activity of the brain, both through the suppression of electrical pathological discharges and through modifying the local or general biochemical environment. It can also lead to permanent anatomo-functional changes, such as new synaptogenesis or new connectomics.
Surgical functional treatments, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) are well established, but there is still room for further investigation regarding their effectiveness, long-term efficiency, and possible new targets, particularly in DBS. In addition, the mechanisms explaining how these therapies reduce seizures are still being investigated; finally, the criteria for patient selection for each of these therapies remain to be clarified, with a current lack of commonly recognized biomarkers for different types of epilepsy.
New invasive therapies, such as direct transcranial stimulation with an EASEE device or the application of optogenetics, have recently been introduced and require further testing. Stereotactic radiosurgery and focused ultrasound treatments are also opening up new opportunities for neuromodulation in epilepsy.
Non-invasive neurostimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic or electric stimulation, which may be MRI-navigated, could lead to new insights in this field.
This Special Issue will comprehensively cover the field of neuromodulation for drug-resistant epilepsy. Original papers, literature reviews, case reports or series, historical issues, and technical reports are welcome.
Dr. Andrea Landi
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- drug-resistant epilepsy
- neuromodulation
- functional neurosurgery
- mechanism of action
- new technologies
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