New weapon available in fight against epilepsy
The VA has added a powerful new tool in the fight against drug-resistant epilepsy, offering hope to veterans who have spent years or even decades cycling through medications that don't work. The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston recently became one of a select number of facilities in the country to offer the NeuroOne electrode system, a recently FDA-approved technology that can diagnose and treat epilepsy in a single procedure. The first veteran to receive this treatment at the facility was Derrick Harpole, a 50-year-old Navy veteran from Mississippi who has lived with uncontrolled seizures for 28 years.
For roughly one-third of epilepsy patients, traditional medication simply doesn't control seizures. These veterans face a frustrating reality: debilitating side effects from multiple medications, loss of independence including the inability to drive or work, and a significantly diminished quality of life. Until now, the diagnostic process alone required lengthy hospital stays and invasive procedures just to identify where in the brain seizures originate, with treatment requiring separate surgeries and additional risk. The NeuroOne system changes that equation by combining diagnosis and treatment into one less-invasive procedure.
This technology is particularly significant for veterans dealing with service-connected epilepsy or seizure disorders. Veterans who developed epilepsy during or after military service and have struggled with medication-resistant seizures may now have access to a treatment option that was previously unavailable through VA care. While the system is currently available at the Houston MEDVAMC, its introduction into the VA healthcare system suggests that other VA medical centers may adopt the technology as it proves effective.
The procedure uses thin, wire-like electrodes with precise metal contact points that can record electrical activity in the brain, stimulate brain tissue, and ablate or burn the specific area causing seizures, all while monitoring local brain temperature for safety. According to Dr. Garrett Banks, the neurosurgeon who performed Harpole's procedure, the system works like an EKG for the brain, capturing electrical signals but also able to act on what it observes. The treatment can be performed in the epilepsy monitoring unit without general anesthesia or an operating room, and patients can continue to be monitored afterward to assess the effectiveness of the ablation.
For disabled veterans, this development represents more than just medical innovation. It addresses a gap in care for those whose service-connected conditions have resisted standard treatment protocols. Veterans living with uncontrolled epilepsy often face compounding challenges: inability to maintain employment, loss of driving privileges, dependence on caregivers, and the cognitive fog that comes with years of heavy medication. A treatment that could reduce seizure frequency or severity without adding more drugs to the regimen could mean the difference between total dependence and meaningful independence.
Veterans currently being treated for epilepsy or seizure disorders through VA healthcare should discuss this option with their neurology care team, particularly if they have continued to experience seizures despite trying multiple medications. Those enrolled in VA healthcare can request a referral to an epilepsy specialist or ask whether their local VA medical center offers this technology or can provide a referral to a facility that does. Veterans not currently enrolled in VA healthcare but who have a service-connected seizure disorder should consider enrolling to access specialized epilepsy care that may not be readily available outside the VA system.
The introduction of the NeuroOne system at VA facilities signals the department's commitment to offering cutting-edge treatment for complex neurological conditions. Veterans who have lived for years believing they had exhausted all options now have reason to revisit that assumption with their care teams.