A schoolboy from England has made medical history as the first in the world with severe epilepsy to trial a new device implanted in his skull to control seizures. The neurostimulator, which sends electrical signals deep into the brain, has reduced Oran Knowlson’s daytime seizures by 80%. Oran has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a treatment-resistant form of epilepsy that he developed at age three. Since then, he has experienced daily seizures ranging from a few dozen to hundreds.
His mother, Justine had said that Oran had a variety of seizures, including ones where he fell to the ground, shook violently, and lost consciousness. At times, he would stop breathing and require emergency medication to resuscitate him.
The surgery, which lasted around eight hours, took place in October 2023. It was part of a trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital in collaboration with University College London, King’s College Hospital, and Oxford University.
Oran, now 13, was 12 at the time of the surgery.
Epilepsy seizures are caused by abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain. The device, which emits a constant pulse of current, aims to block or disrupt these abnormal signals.
According to University College London, the rechargeable device is mounted onto the skull and is attached to electrodes deep in the brain to reduce seizure activity.
This is the first UK clinical trial measuring this type of treatment for children with epilepsy. The CADET pilot (Children’s Adaptive Deep brain stimulation for Epilepsy Trial) will now recruit three additional patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering before 22 patients take part in the full trial, which is being funded by GOSH Charity and LifeArc.