A New Neuromodulation Tool: TheAcoustic Non-Periodic Stimulation

Epilepsy represents a significant contemporary challenge. Approximately one-third of epileptic patients are considered refractory, meaning they resist conventional pharmacological treatment. In response to the need for alternative methods to control epilepsy, our research group developed Non-Periodic Acoustic Stimulation (ANPS). The present study aimed to assess the electrophysiological characteristics of ANPS in individuals with and without epilepsy, as well as to determine if this stimulus would induce the same effect as a control stimulus of white noise (WN). Evaluations were conducted using EEG before, during, and after applying ANPS and WN in the respective groups. The analysis was based on intracortical electrical density (sLORETA). ANPS, but not WN, showed statistically significant differences in activation within the theta and beta 1 frequency bands in the epilepsy group (EG), but not in the control group (CG). The areas of greater activation were observed in the frontal and parietal regions. These findings suggest that ANPS exhibited distinct electrophysiological characteristics compared to WN and that patients with epilepsy responded differently to ANPS compared to individuals without epilepsy. ANPS in patients with epilepsy promoted increased activity in regions involved in the dorsal pathway, likely interfering with sound source localization function. To our notice, it is the first time that a sound reduced epileptic seizures in refractory patients. ANPS seems to be a new neuromodulation tool, with brain effects differing from normal acoustic stimulation.