New device may help to fight seizures and more...

According to a report in medicalnewstoday.com, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been credited with developing a wireless device that may soon become a useful treatment for depression and epileptic seizures.

The device, which is implanted in the neck, was developed in conjunction with a group of Pittsburgh high school science teachers.

Currently, the FDA has approved a wired version of what is ultimately planned to be a wireless device. There are, however, some risks and potential side effects associated with the wired device that include: infection (because of the surgical incision); restricted movement and adhesions (from the wire that runs from the left side of the chest to the left side of t he neck); hoarseness, shortness of breath, and voice alteration (all of which subside when the device is deactivated).

Prior research has found that, when stimulated, the vagus nerve that connects the brain to a number of major organs has the ability to offset even drug-resistant epileptic seizures.

The treatment of severe depression is another use for which the FDA has approved vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). At present, the VNS device produced by Cybertronics Inc. is the only one on the market.

Their version of the product is a pulse generator that is implanted into the left side of the chest. A wire then runs from there to the left side of the neck where it wraps around the nerve. A magnetic wand is used to turn the device on and off. When the batteries need to be replaced at between three and eight years, the patient must undergo additional surgery.

VNS has a number of benefits vis-à-vis existing treatments for depression. Among those is the absence or reduced severity of side-effects associated with drugs. VNS does not cause sexual dysfunction or memory impairment and sleep deprivation and weight gain are minimal.

The researchers’ goal was to create a device that would prevent seizures. Using a modified method for deep-brain stimulation (DBS), which helps treat diseases through the use of radio frequency technology, they came up with a new option for patients seeking alternative treatments for depression and epilepsy.

Their device known as a Radio Frequency-powered Neural Stimulator (RFNS) consists of a receiver implanted under the skin and a separate power supply placed near the skin in the neck area. This version, unlike VNS, requires only one surgical incision. This serves to reduce the risk of infection.

Another distinct benefit of the RFNS is that there is no need to run an internal wire from the patients’ shoulders to their necks. The external power supply eliminates the need for additional surgical procedures thereby reducing the risk of infection even further.