A new study has been granted £1.8 million from the National Institute of Health & Care Research (NIHR) to explore how the “first ever ultra-long term seizure recorder” could be used to help improve outcomes and reduce risk of harm for epilepsy patients who cannot presently control their condition with medication.
The Real World Testing and Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Subcutaneous EEG (REAL-ASE) trial is being led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London. It will use tracking technology to monitor and potentially predict patterns in seizures experienced by people with drug-resistant epilepsy, using continuous and objective data collection of brain activity.
The new technology, subcutaneous implanted EEG, is said to record EEG (electroencephalogram) for up to 15 months in an unobtrusive manner, and was developed by Danish company UNEEG medical.
The study will see 33 people with drug-resistant epilepsy recruited and a miniaturised electroencephalogram device implanted just under their scalp. Researchers will monitor each participant’s brainwaves over six months, accurately counting seizures and providing reliable information to clinicians.
Professor Mark Richardson, Head of the School of Neuroscience and Paul Getty III Professor of Epilepsy at King’s IoPPN, commented: “This technology is a game-changer for epilepsy therapy as it enables us to detect and count a person’s seizures with accuracy… Unfortunately, seizure diaries are often not accurate enough to judge whether treatment has led to any improvement.
“What the use of ultra long-term EEG opens up, is the possibility, in the future, of very accurately judging the effect of a change in treatment. We also anticipate that ultra long-term EEG will allow us to quickly identify that someone’s epilepsy is deteriorating so that we can immediately step-up their care. This has the potential to be truly revolutionary for people living with a difficult illness.”
