Acupuncture for Refractory Epilepsy
Neurostimulation procedures like vagus nerve stimulation
(VNS) and deep brain stimulation have been used to treat refractory epilepsy
and other neurological disorders. While holding promise, they are invasive
interventions with serious complications and adverse effects. Moreover, their
efficacies are modest with less seizure free. Acupuncture is a simple, safe,
and effective traditional healing modality for a wide range of diseases
including pain and epilepsy. Thalamus takes critical role in sensory
transmission and is highly involved in epilepsy genesis particularly the
absence epilepsy. Considering thalamus serves as a convergent structure for
both acupuncture and VNS and the thalamic neuronal activities can be modulated
by acupuncture, we propose that acupuncture could be a promising therapy or at
least a screening tool to select suitable candidates for those invasive
modalities in the management of refractory epilepsy.
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