Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects people of all ages and causes the onset of seizures. These seizures can vary in length and severity from person to person, and learn to live with epilepsy is no easy task. For many epilepsy patients, they can feel the onset of a seizure but often it is too late for them to take action to keep themselves safe.
However, scientists from the University of Melbourne and researchers from IBM, are now working on technology that may be able to assist epilepsy patients in recognizing the signs of an oncoming seizure earlier than they would normally have, giving them extra time to ensure their safety. As of now, we are still unsure as to what triggers seizures to occur in those suffering from epilepsy. Some studies have suggested that it could be stress related, others say that it may be down to tiredness or menstruation, but one thing that we can be certain of is that the activity in the brain must act similarly in all cases where a seizure is about to occur.
So, the team set up a project called TrueNorth and involves designing a computer chip that will mimic the structure of the brain to allow accurate data analysis. The participant of the tests was asked to complete a range of tasks which involved squeezing either the left or right hand while connected to an EEG that constantly detected their brainwaves and then used that data to train their system to predict which hand was doing the squeezing. The results of these tests resulted in a 76 percent accuracy, but the researchers are adamant they can improve on this.
One of IBM’s TrueNorth neuromorphic chips.
What the team plans to do next with their research is to implant a sensor into an epileptic patient’s brain so that they can monitor their brain function constantly. In doing this, over time, they will be able to formulate enough results of brain activity to predict when the seizures occur. From here they can develop TrueNorth further to be able to assist those suffering from seizures to find a safe place to go when the machine recognizes the onset of a seizure and alerts them.
This really could mean the difference of a lifetime for some patients who are too terrified to go outside in case a seizure comes on unexpectedly. Although it may still be quite some time before we see the finished version of TrueNorth hitting the stores, rest assured that help is on its way.
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