University of California-Irvine neuroscientists have developed a unique method to stop severe episodes of epileptic seizures with fiber optic light signals.

Using a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy, the research team created an EEG-based computer system that activates hair-thin optical strands implanted in the brain when it detects a real-time seizure. The fibers subsequently “turn on” specially expressed, light-sensitive proteins called opsins, which can either stimulate or inhibit specific neurons during seizures. They found that this process could stop ongoing electrical seizure activity and reduce the incidence of severe events.

The researchers say that their approach helps understand how seizures occur and how they can be stopped experimentally. Although the study was carried out in mice, not humans, their work could lead to better alternatives to currently available electrical stimulation devices.

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