Control of seizure activity by electrical stimulation: effect of frequency.

Epilepsy is a devastating disease of the central nervous system, affecting approximately 1% of the world's population. Drug therapy is effective in many patients, but 25% of the patients do not respond to anticonvulsants. Surgical resection can be an effective treatment but is associated with serious complications that can remove it as an option. Electrical stimulation has been successful to control abnormal activity such as motor disorders and current research is aimed at determining the efficacy of this method for seizure control. Several electrical stimulation frequencies and waveforms have been developed to control seizure activity. The purpose of this presentation is to review these various approaches, and to discuss their underlying mechanisms and their potential for clinical implementation.