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Group leader: Margitta Seeck

Group name: EEG and Epilepsy Unit

Affiliation: University Hospital

Research activities:

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The main activity of our unit is to propose surgical solution to drug resistant patient. To achieve this goal we are currently dealing with cerebral imaging techniques to localise brain functions such as MRI, PET, SPECT, ESI, fMRI, electrocorticography.

Among all functional brain imaging techniques, ESI (Electromagnetic Source Imaging) became more and more precise and useful to localize the epileptic foci. Sine many years our group demonstrated that high resolution EEG (256 channels) is promised tool to localize epileptic foci for various type of epilepsy. Multimodal imaging allow us to compare the yield of each technique (MRI, PET, SPECT, ESI, fMRI) for different group of patient (paediatric population, non lesional epilepsy).

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is emerging as a possible treatment for intractable epilepsy, which affects 0.2-0.3% of the population. We aim at determining the minimal and most efficient stimulation that is required to prevent seizures and that guarantees a safe stimulation, on the basis of the neurophysiological study of the cerebral activity, spontaneous or evoked by electrical stimulation. In addition, we propose to implement seizure detection and anticipation algorithms which have been described as useful so that stimulation is delivered on-demand to block the occurrence and/or propagation of seizures. Our group is also involved in program research to better understand epilepsy mechanisms. Then genetic, development and genesis of epilepsy are part of our centres of interest.

Group website: http://epilepsie.hug-ge.ch

Selected Publications:

  • Blanke O, Ortigue S, Landis T, Seeck M. Stimulating illusory own-body perceptions. Nature. 2002 Sep 19;419(6904):269-70.
  • Arzy S, Seeck M, Ortigue S, Spinelli L, Blanke O. Induction of an illusory shadow person. Nature.2006 Sep 21;443(7109):287.
  • Brodbeck V, Spinelli L, Lascano AM, Pollo C, Schaller K, Vargas MI, Wissmeyer M, Michel CM, Seeck M. Electrical source imaging for presurgical focus localization in epilepsy patients with normal MRI. Epilepsia. 2010 Apr;51(4):583-91. Epub 2010 Feb 26.
  • Seeck M, Pegna AJ, Ortigue S, Spinelli L, Dessibourg CA, Delavelle J, Blanke O, Michel CM, Landis T, Villemure JG. Speech arrest with stimulation may not reliably predict language deficit after epilepsy surgery. Neurology. 2006 Feb 28;66(4):592-4.

Contact:
Clinique de Neurologie
Unité d'évaluation préchirurgicale d'épilepsie
Unité d'épileptologie et d'EEG
Geneva University Hospital
Email: margitta (dot) seeck (at) hcuge (dot) ch