[Treatment of epilepsy: peripheral and central stimulation techniques].

The efficacy of electrical stimulation in the treatment of epileptic seizures was demonstrated experimentally even in the 1970s. Clinical studies have proven the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation and in recent years also of stimulation of the trigeminal nerve, the anterior nucleus of the thalamus and of the epileptic focus in treating focal epilepsy. Mechanisms of action depend on the stimulation site and parameters and include activation of endogenous antiepileptic nuclei, modulation of propagation of epileptic activity and suppression of ictal activity at the site of generation. Based on available data the tolerability of peripheral and central brain stimulation appears to be good but experiences from wider clinical use are still lacking.