Technology used to sense an impending electrical failure in aircraft is being
used to detect epileptic seizures. George Vachtsevanos, a professor at
Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has
collaborated with neurologists at the University of Pennsylvania and Emory
University to find that a series of electrical blips in the brain precedes
seizures. 

The research indicates that the onset of seizures can be predicted and maybe
even halted in patients for whom medications don't work and surgery is not an
option. Seizures are produced by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain
and can cause convulsions and loss of consciousness. Most of the 50 million
epilepsy patients don't know when a seizure will occur. 

Vachtsevanos' technique analyzes huge data sets of real-time information to
predict when critical electrical systems, like those in aircraft, might begin
to fail. Those systems can then be reset, avoiding interruptions. By studying
brain waves, Vachtsevanos' team found that bursts of electrical energy could
be detected as much as seven hours before a seizure. 

Other uses of the technique include predicting and stopping irregular cardiac
rhythms before they produce a heart attack. Similar diagnostic technologies
developed by the researchers are helping to improve industrial product
quality by conducting maintenance only when needed. 

http://icsl.marc.gatech.edu/Projects/eeg/brochure_eeg.htm

Contact George Vachtsevanos of Georgia Tech at:
george.vachtsevanos@ee.gatech.edu