Focal Cooling for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Review.

IMPORTANCE

Epilepsy affects at least 1.2% of the population, with one-third of cases considered to be drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). For these cases, focal cooling therapy may be a potential avenue for treatment, offering hope to people with DRE for freedom from seizure. The therapy leverages neuroscience and engineering principles to deliver a reversible treatment unhindered by pharmacology.

OBSERVATIONS

Analogous to (but safer than) the use of global cooling in postcardiac arrest and neonatal ischemic injury, extensive research supports the premise that focal cooling as a long-term treatment for epilepsy could be effective. The potential advantages of focal cooling are trifold: stopping epileptiform discharges, seizures, and status epilepticus safely across species (including humans).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This Review presents the most current evidence supporting focal cooling in epilepsy. Cooling has been demonstrated as a potentially safe and effective treatment modality for DRE, although it is not yet ready for use in humans outside of randomized clinical trials. The Review will also offer a brief overview of the technical challenges related to focal cooling in humans, including the optimal device design and cooling parameters.