Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS)

If you are continuing to experience seizures, despite anti-seizure medications, you may be a candidate for a responsive neurostimulator (RNS). This device is for individuals with focal or partial onset seizures where the area of the brain causing seizures cannot be removed. It provides direct intracranial stimulation of the brain, similar to a cardiac defibrillator for individuals with arrhythmias. The device is battery-powered and controlled by a microprocessor that is implanted under your scalp in your skull. Wires, called leads, connect the device to the area near the site of your seizure, enabling the device to detect abnormal electrical activity in your brain. It then delivers electrical stimulation to interrupt these abnormal signals, letting your brain return to normal activity before you experience a seizure.

Discover Our Difference

Our goal is to help you live a normal life without seizures and side effects. The responsive neurostimulator is just one way we can help you manage your seizures. We are a Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center recognized by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. We provide the highest standard of care including:

Neuro-diagnostic monitoring, such as video EEG
Medical, neuro-psychological and psychosocial evaluations
Electroencephalogram (EEG), to record electrical activity
Epilepsy-directed brain MRI
Complete evaluation for epilepsy surgery, including intracranial electrodes

Specialists at the Neurology Clinic at the University of Minnesota Health Clinics and Surgery Center can provide you with comprehensive, compassionate care for even the most challenging, complex neurological disorders. Our Movement Disorders and Epilepsy Surgery Center was created to treat patients with movement disorders and brings together neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuropsychologists, neuroradiologists, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists and other health care professionals to provide the best care for you. Our combination of exceptional patient care and leading-edge research in neurological disorders makes us one of the top neurology programs in the United States.

About our Epilepsy Program

The epilepsy programs at MINCEP^® and University of Minnesota Health integrated in 2013.
MINCEP was the first comprehensive epilepsy center in the United States It has served as a model for epilepsy centers around the world since 1964.
The MINCEP Epilepsy Care Program has been designated a Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.
MINCEP was a founding member of the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Our strict standards as a center of excellence exceed the NAEC requirements.