Ictal Involvement of the Pulvinar and the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Patients With Refractory Epilepsy

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT) has been shown to be effective in treating some patients with medically refractory epilepsy. However, it remains unknown how seizures spread through the ANT relative to other thalamic nuclei. This study aimed to investigate, through simultaneous recordings from both ANT and pulvinar (PLV) nucleus, their roles in seizure propagation. Our goal was to determine whether the ANT is the primary site of seizure propagation in the human thalamus, especially for focal seizure originating in the medial temporal lobe.