# Low-frequency stimulation of fiber tracts to control seizures

> **NIH NIH R01** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $316,746

## Abstract

Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders. Patients with epilepsy experience
recurrent seizures that can cause a variety of symptoms ranging from auras to loss of
consciousness. Epilepsy is characterized by the abnormal firing of large numbers of neurons and
current therapeutic agents cannot control seizures in 25% of all epileptic patients. We have
previously shown that a novel brain stimulation method targeting fiber tracts (fornix) instead of
grey matter at low frequency (1-20Hz) is effective to suppress seizures in animal models and
patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). We propose to target another prominent
fiber tract, the corpus callosum (CC) to suppress cortical seizures and to compare this
technology to two state-the-art methods that stimulate at high frequency either the focus
directly or the anterior nucleus of the thalamus. Specifically, we propose to determine if
stimulation of the CC at low frequency can decrease focal seizures by selectively activating the
CC fibers innervating the focus in an acute model (Aim 1) or in focal chronic model of epilepsy
with tetanus toxin (Aim 2). We then propose to determine if fiber tract stimulation can improve
seizure control of activity generated by multiple foci compared to stimulation of the anterior
nucleus of the thalamus (Aim3) or with kainic acid in chronic model (Aim4). Finally, we will study
the mechanisms of the CC stimulation using in-vitro cortical brain slices obtained from animals in
previous aims. The project will be carried with a collaboration between scientists, engineers and
clinicians and if successful could be translated into a novel patient-specific therapeutic modality
for the control of cortical seizures in patients with intractable epilepsy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10745981
- **Project number:** 5R01NS114120-05
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DOMINIQUE M DURAND
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $316,746
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-12-01 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10745981

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10745981, Low-frequency stimulation of fiber tracts to control seizures (5R01NS114120-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10745981. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*