Use of Stereoelectroencephalography Beyond Epilepsy: A Systematic Review

Background: Stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) is an increasingly popular surgical technique used clinically to study neural circuits involved in medication-refractory epilepsy, and it is concomitantly used in the scientific investigation of neural circuitry underlying behavior. Methods: Using PRISMA guidelines, the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health PubMed database was queried for investigational or therapeutic applications of sEEG in human subjects. Abstracts were analyzed independently by 2 authors for inclusion or exclusion. Results: The study search identified 752 articles, and after exclusion criteria were applied, 8 studies were selected for in-depth review. Among those 8 studies, 122 patients were included, with indications ranging from schizophrenia to Parkinson disease. All the included studies were single-institution case series representing level IV scientific evidence. Conclusions: sEEG is an important method in epilepsy surgery that could be applied to other neurologic and psychiatric diseases. Information from these studies could provide additional pathophysiologic information and lead to further development and refinement of neuromodulation therapies for such conditions.