Pedunculopontine Nucleus Stimulation in Intractable Epilepsy: A Recent Patent on Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy

摘要

The pathogenesis and management of intractable epilepsy (IE) remain challenging to neuroscientists even today. Electrical stimulation therapies like vagal nerve and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are gaining popularity as effective adjunctive treatments with a continued search for newer DBS targets. The strong antiepileptic influence of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) controlled by acetylcholine neurons (AChN) in the pedunculpontine nucleus (PPN) in humans is well documented, the stimulation of which has been found to induce and enhance REMS.