Patent ID: 7555344

Claim:
A method of treating an individual suffering from epilepsy, the method comprising: providing a controller comprising a signal generator and processor in communication with a first electrode and a second electrode; coupling said first electrode to a site on the vagus nerve of the individual; coupling said second electrode to a volume of neural tissue in an area of the individual's brain selected from the group consisting of insula, subcallosal area, cingulate, prefrontal cerebral cortex, mesial temporal lobe, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, brain stem, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, frontal lobe, orbitofrontal cortex, parietal lobe, Wernicke's area, area tempestas, basal ganglia, globus pallidus, superior colliculus, striatum, ventral striatum, ventral pallidum, caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmentum, Brodmann areas 24 , 25 , 32 , piriform cortex, ventricular region, ventral pallidum, and forebrain circumventricular organs, reticulate substantia innominata, rostral midbrain, red nucleus, periaqueductal gray, and white matter tracts leading from an aforementioned area or nucleus; applying a predetermined electrical signal to said first electrode; sensing electrical activity in said selected volume of brain tissue by said second electrode; comparing the resulting sensed electrical activity to a predetermined electrical state of said selected area; and determining from said comparison whether said application of said predetermined electrical signal to said first electrode causes a modulation of electrical activity of said brain area, wherein said modulation of electrical activity attenuates or deters the occurrence of, at least one symptom of epilepsy.