Control of epileptic seizures by electrical low frequency deep brain stimulation: A review of probable mechanisms

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease with no definitive method in treatment. Notably, the main way to treat and control epileptic seizures is drug therapy. However, about 20-30% of patients with epilepsy are drug resistant and require other therapeutic manners. Deep brain stimulation is a new therapeutic strategy for these patients. Conspicuously, there are no clear answers for basic questions such as which brain area is a suitable target for stimulation, which pattern of stimulation exerts the best therapeutic effects and what is the probable mechanism of anticonvulsant effect of deep brain stimulation? Using laboratory models of epilepsy and seizure, it has been shown that low frequency electrical stimulation (LFS) is an effective pattern of deep brain stimulation to reduce the seizure severity. The mechanisms involved in LFS anticonvulsant effects are not completely determined. In this article, we reviewed the previous studies on the anticonvulsant effects of LFS and the possible mechanisms involved in it, as well as LFS-induced changes in the neuronal activities.