Vibrating people’s brains with laser beams could pinpoint the focus of epileptic seizures faster and more easily than the lengthy scans or surgery used today, US researchers say.

Epilepsy is the most common brain disorder and affects about 1% of the population. It occurs when nerve cells in a certain area of the brain fire more rapidly than usual, leading to seizures.

Only about two-thirds of people with epilepsy can be treated with drugs, with surgery the only option for the rest. Surgical cure rates are poor and recurrence rates high – especially for “neocortical seizures” that occur in the brain’s outer layers.

More at New Scientist Tech