C3Te Colloquium

PerStim, a new approach to neurostimulation

On May 10th 2019, the Center for Care & Cure Technology Eindhoven (C3Te) organized their first colloquium on neurostimulation.

The visitors of the colloquium were welcomed by Dr. Maarten Paulides, the director C3Te. The goal of C3Te is to connect the technological strengths of Electrical Engineering with clinical partners and industry and thereby expand collective knowledge which leads to sustainable improvement of healthcare. The center covers multiple essential health areas where electrical engineering technology can make a significant contribution. This first colloquium gave the floor to two representative investigators within the area of Neurology, Prof. Paul Boon and Dr. Rob Mestrom, who work together with other researchers from TU/e, Kempenhaeghe, Philips Neuro and Ghent University on the project PerStim. Their goal is to customize treatment for patients with severe (refractory) epilepsy by the development of a method to stimulate the brain using electrodes that are placed on the head rather than inside the head.

Prof. Paul Boon, clinical research leader and professor at Ghent University, Kempenhaeghe and TU/e posed the question what has been achieved by neurostimulation for epilepsy? And how can we stimulate smarter? In the Netherlands, 120.000 people suffer from epilepsy, of which about 30% does not respond to medication and remain prone to seizures. Electrical brain stimulation can be a solution, but stimulation with electrodes deep in the brain is a very drastic measure and overall success is rather limited. Prof. Boon demonstrated the development of current non-invasive neurostimulation methods which are effective, although still need more accuracy. The conclusion of the talk was, that new innovative approaches should provide the unique opportunity to see more accurately where exactly in the brain an epileptic seizure takes place. The more precise we can stimulate and measure the direct effect of stimulation, the better the benefit for the patient.

This was a very creative way from Prof. Boon to give the floor to Dr. Rob Mestrom, who would talk in more detail about the project PerStim. The project title refers to named: “Personalized neurostimulation: HD-EEG-based transcranial stimulation to treat refractory epilepsy patients. The goal of the project is to develop a non-invasive neurostimulation technique with the use of a high-density electroencephalography (EEG) system, which can record the electrical activity of the brain. By combining the high spatiotemporal resolution of the recording system with the possibility for simultaneous stimulation, a personalized treatment protocols can be developed. The multidisciplinary team within PerStim consists of researchers from academia, industry and the clinic. With their combined knowledge, the goal of developing a non-invasive personalized neurostimulation system will be reached by combining mathematical models to reconstruct the region and the timing of epileptic events with the optimization of the efficacy of the neurostimulation, using electrode calibration. Finally, the optimal stimulation will be clinically evaluated. The developed personalized neurostimulation technique is intended to provide epilepsy patients with better quality of life.