Project 2
How smart sensors can prevent epilepsy
In Delft and Rotterdam, Wouter Serdijn and Christos Strydis are collaborating on a network of sensors and stimulators for the body. By picking up signals and sending the brain a rapid wake-up call, they hope to be able to predict and prevent epileptic fits. ‘If we can close the loop, we’ll have the technology ready within three years.’
Project leader
ECLEPSys
Epilepsy is a collective name for disorders of the brain caused by a change in the brain cells’ electrical activity. These neurons suddenly become overactive, firing their electric signals uncontrollably. This sometimes results in a ‘short-circuit’: seizures where a patient loses consciousness or has involuntary muscular spasms. For the more than 200,000 Dutch people with epilepsy, this can be very dangerous. But what exactly happens during an epileptic fit? What exactly do the overactive brain cells do? And how can we influence that process? Wouter Serdijn, Professor of Bioelectronics at TU Delft, is trying to answer these questions by researching and designing technology for monitoring, diagnosing and treating epilepsy.
