Intractable Epilepsy Controlled by Neurofeedback and Adjunctive Treatments: A Case Report

Abstract

This case report documents the treatment of a female patient with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy with secondary generalization. At the age of 13, the patient was hospitalized with ~120 seizures in a day, some of which were life-threatening. After hospital discharge, despite a regimen of multiple antiseizure medications, the patient still experienced ~90 seizures per day. After the interventions described in this work, over 500 neurofeedback sessions guided by EEG or qEEG data and adjunctive treatments including mental skills coaching, the patient became seizure- and medication-free, progressing from poor academic performance and inability to carry out normal daily life to attending university as a student athlete playing an NCAA Division I sport. This case emphasizes that, with professional guidance and supervision, it is possible for people with epilepsy or their caregivers to provide the extensive, long-term neurofeedback and adjunctive training necessary for reduction and control of intractable seizures.