A research team led by Professor Youngmin Son from the Department of Neurology at Samsung Medical Center reported that deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with intractable epilepsy reduced seizure frequency by over 70% without any associated cognitive decline.
Twenty-two patients who continued to have more than one seizure per month despite medication and were not suitable candidates for brain resection surgery were treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the prethalamic nucleus (12 patients) or the hippocampus (10 patients). After a follow-up period of at least 18 months (mean: 3 years), the results showed no significant decline in any cognitive function, including memory, language, attention, or executive function.
The seizure reduction rate was 73.05% for prethalamic DBS and 76.76% for hippocampal DBS, demonstrating high therapeutic efficacy for both approaches. Emotional measures, including depression and anxiety, also showed no worsening. According to the research team, this is the first domestic study to compare long-term cognitive outcomes based on DBS target location, and its significance lies in enabling clinicians to select the optimal stimulation site tailored to each patient’s characteristics without concerns about cognitive decline.
This study also confirms that DBS is a safe long-term treatment option, offering new possibilities for patients with refractory epilepsy who require lifelong management. Professor Youngmin Son emphasized, “We have confirmed that cognitive function is preserved despite stimulation of key brain structures, allowing us to recommend DBS treatment with greater confidence.” The research team plans to conduct multicenter studies with a larger patient population and to further develop customized stimulation protocols in the future.