Evidence map · DBS · refractory focal epilepsy
DBS for refractory focal epilepsy: what the research shows
Anterior-thalamic deep brain stimulation for refractory focal epilepsy. 1,457 papers from 1980 to 2026, including 39 meta-analyses, 53 systematic reviews and 20 randomised controlled trials. Each study below links to its source.
1,457Papers in the corpus
39Meta-analyses
20Randomised controlled trials
391Open-access papers
Study design
Jev labels338 papers have no confident study-design label yet. Labels are AI-classified by Jev: advisory, not clinician-reviewed.
Papers over time
by publication year* 2025–26 is still in progress, so its count is incomplete.
Most-cited trials and reviews
by citations- 1
Electrical stimulation of the anterior nucleus of thalamus for treatment of refractory epilepsy.
- 2
Deep brain stimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy.
- 3
Deep Brain Stimulation and Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Review of the Literature.
- 4
Deep brain stimulation targets in epilepsy: Systematic review and meta-analysis of anterior and centromedian thalamic nuclei and hippocampus.
- 5
Memory and mood outcomes after anterior thalamic stimulation for refractory partial epilepsy.
- 6
Seizure outcome after hippocampal deep brain stimulation in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy: A prospective, controlled, randomized, double-blind study.
- 7
Deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus for drug-resistant epilepsy.
- 8
A systematic review of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in childhood.
Recent trials and reviews
last 3 years- 1
Efficacy and quality of life outcomes in deep brain stimulation for epilepsy: A meta-analysis and systematic review.
- 2
Deep brain stimulation of the thalamus for intractable epilepsy (FRANCE study): A randomized clinical trial.
- 3
Deep brain stimulation for epilepsy: optimal targeting and clinical outcomes.
- 4
Comparative efficacy of deep brain stimulation in refractory epilepsy with cognitive impairment: a Meta-analysis
- 5
Optimizing stimulation parameters for anterior thalamic nuclei deep brain stimulation in epilepsy: A randomized crossover trial.
Decision support only. This page summarises published literature; it is not medical advice or a recommendation for any patient. Study designs and topic labels are AI-classified by Jev: advisory, not clinician-reviewed. Abstracts are not reproduced here: follow the links to read each source. Data snapshot 2026-09-25.