Opportunities for Quantum Sensing in Epilepsy Diagnostics
Abstract
Diagnosis in epilepsy depends on several distinct objectives-including interictal epileptiform discharge (IED) detection, source localisation of epileptiform activity, and seizure classification-each shaped by the underlying sensing technology. This review examines the opportunities that quantum magnetic sensing offers within this diagnostic framework, with particular emphasis on translational readiness and clinical potential. Seizure classification is included to situate the broader clinical context of epilepsy diagnostics, whereas the review of quantum sensing evidence is focused on IED detection and presurgical source localisation, the objectives for which such evidence currently exists. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) provides non-invasive source localisation that complements electroencephalography (EEG), and its clinical adoption is increasingly determined by advances in magnetic sensor technology. Optically pumped magnetometer (OPM)-based MEG represents the most clinically developed quantum sensing application, progressing from proof-of-concept in 2020 toward small-cohort clinical feasibility studies from 2022 onwards. By enabling on-scalp recordings at reduced sensor-to-brain distance, OPM-MEG improves signal amplitude and permits flexible sensor placement, with early evidence of benefit in paediatric populations and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. However, current evidence derives from small, heterogeneous cohorts, and no prospective data yet link OPM-MEG to surgical…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Quantum dots: synthesis, bioapplications, and toxicity
- A Guide to In Silico Drug Design
- In silico toxicology protocols
- Automated in Silico Design of Homogeneous Catalysts
- In-silico strategies in nano-drug design: Bridging nanomaterials and pharmacological applications
- mRNA codon optimization with quantum computers
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.