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“I WOULDN’T CHANGE TAKING PART IN THIS RESEARCH FOR THE WORLD”
The involvement of people affected by epilepsy makes a substantial and positive contribution to research into the condition, but in some cases it can also be life-changing. Sophie, 21, took part in Dr Antonio Valentin’s study, funded by Epilepsy Research UK, to investigate if electrical brain stimulation can be used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy. She has now been seizure-free for six years. “Due to my epilepsy, I wasn’t able to swim or ride a bike when I was younger. Even things like washing myself had to be so controlled – I remember distinctly my mum running up the stairs if I ever dropped something while in the shower. Equally, my learning was severely impaired, and I struggled for years with most subjects, especially maths and sciences. Being in school plays or playing sport in the evenings was near impossible due to the number of seizures I had.” Epilepsy surgery may be one option for people with focal epilepsy, but finding the brain region where seizures originate can be difficult. Dr Valentin and colleagues at King’s College London developed a new diagnostic technique called sub-acute cortical electrical stimulation (SCS) that can accurately detect the source of epileptic activity in the brain, helping to inform epilepsy surgery. The researchers also found that SCS can reduce seizure frequency for people with epilepsy when surgery is not an option. The results from Dr Valentin’s study also suggest that electrical brain stimulation may be effective in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. “Being involved with Dr Valentin’s research was life-changing. Prior to the trial my odds were pretty bleak, with multiple surgeons saying that I would probably be paralysed on the right-hand side of my body. Dr Valentin and Dr Richard Selway’s team clearly felt this was not an option and did their utmost to prove these odds wrong.” Since undergoing the procedure and surgery at the age of 15, Sophie has been completely seizure-free: “Despite the context of brain surgery, the experience was brilliant – I wouldn’t change taking part for the world.”
I hope these amazing techniques will be rolled out to many more people. Research like this has been life-changing for people like Sophie. Dr Antonio Valentin