Intracranial botulinum toxin therapy for focal epilepsy

1. A method for treating focal epilepsy, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of a botulinum toxin into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a brain region selected from the group consisting of a lower brain region, a pontine region, a globus pallidus and a thalamus of a patient, thereby treating the focal epilepsy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the botulinum toxin is selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin types A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the botulinum toxin is botulinum toxin type A.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the botulinum toxin is administered in an amount of between about 10 −3 U/kg and about 100 U/kg of patient weight.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method alleviates epilepsy for between about 1 month and about 5 years.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intracranial administration step comprises implantation of a controlled release botulinum toxin system.

7. A method for treating focal epilepsy, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a botulinum toxin type A into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a temporal lobe of a patient, thereby treating the focal epilepsy.

8. A method for treating a focal epilepsy, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a botulinum toxin type to a epileptogenic focus of a patient located in a thalamus of a patient between 3 to 6 mm posterior to the mid anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane, 12 mm to 16 mm lateral to the mid anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane, and 0 to 3 mm above the level of the mid anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane, thereby treating the focal epilepsy.

9. A method for treating focal epilepsy, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of 1-10 units of botulinum toxin type A to into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a brain region selected from the group consisting of a lower brain region, a pontine region, a globus pallidus and a thalamus of a patient, thereby treating the focal epilepsy.

10. A method for treating epilepsy having an epileptogenic focus, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of a botulinum toxin into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a brain region selected from the group consisting of a temporal lobe and a thalamus of a patient, thereby treating the epilepsy.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the botulinum toxin is selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin types A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the botulinum toxin is botulinum toxin type A.

13. A method for treating epilepsy having an epileptogenic focus, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of 1-10 units of a botulinum toxin into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a brain region selected from the group consisting of a lower brain region, a pontine region, a globus pallidus and a thalamus of a patient, thereby treating the epilepsy.

14. A method for treating focal epilepsy, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of a botulinum toxin into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a hippocampus of a patient, thereby treating the focal epilepsy.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the botulinum toxin is selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin types A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the botulinum toxin is botulinum toxin type A.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein intracranial administration is performed subsequent to a step of utilizing stereotactic surgical procedures to identify the epileptogenic focus.

18. A method for treating focal epilepsy, the method comprising the step of intracranial administration of a botulinum toxin into intracranial target tissue having an epileptogenic focus located at a frontal lobe of a patient, thereby treating the focal epilepsy.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the botulinum toxin is selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin types A, B, C, D, E, F and G.