Research @ AACE
Epilepsy, recognized as one of the most prevalent neurological disorders, affects over 10 million people in India. Among them, 70% successfully control their seizures with medication, but the remaining 30% are drug-resistant, making epilepsy surgery a recommended option. Localizing the epileptic foci, however, poses a significant challenge for most of these patients. This situation necessitates a comprehensive pre-surgical assessment and a detailed analysis of clinically obtained data. Approaching this problem from an engineering standpoint redefines it as an engineering challenge, offering a unique opportunity to substantially enhance/assist in clinical decision-making processes.
In recent years, our center has made significant advancements in epilepsy research and patient care. We have pioneered several innovative methods such as PASCOM (Aslam et al, 2022), a method instrumental in pinpointing epileptic foci by detecting areas of reduced metabolism in the brain. Additionally, we have developed the Epileptogenicity Rank (Parasuram et al, 2021), a tool for quantifying epileptogenicity in the brain. Our research also includes the creation of a Region-specific HFO rate database (Parasuram et al), which is a valuable resource for understanding HFO rates in different regions of the brain.
Moreover, we are utilizing Machine Learning and Graph Theory (Jose et al, 2023) for more accurately localizing epileptic foci, enhancing the precision of our diagnostic capabilities. Furthermore, our work in Multi Modal Image Integration stands out as a novel approach for better localization of epileptic foci, allowing for more targeted and effective treatments. These methods collectively represent a leap forward in our ability to localize, understand, and enhance/assist in the treatment of epilepsy more effectively.