Role of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Drug Resistant Focal Epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain that affects people of all ages. Approximately 50 million people live with epilepsy worldwide. Epilepsy exists when someone has an epileptic seizures. Focal seizures also initially generate in and affect just one part of the brain or a whole hemisphere. Symptoms vary according to where the seizure occurs particularly at onset, are determined by localization and not etiology. Drug-resistant epilepsy is defined as failure of adequate trials of two tolerated, appropriately chosen and administered antiepileptic drugs (whether as monotherapy or in combination) to achieve sustained seizure freedom. And, about 20 to 40 percent of patients with epilepsy are refractory to medications. A core feature of drug-resistant epilepsy is hyperexcitability of the cortical areas. These syndromes may benefit from rTMS. Neurostimulation based treatments for epilepsy are an alternative for the many patients who remain refractory to standard antiepileptic drugs.