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The RNS System is medical device to treat epilepsy. It is not designed for enhancing human capabilities, although it was demonstrated, that the RNS System has no adverse cognitive effect in epileptics. <ref name="BusinessWirePositiveEffects">NeuroPace RNS® System Associated with Positive Effects In Memory and Language for People Living with Partial Onset Epilepsy. Business Wire: A Berkshire Hathaway Company [online]. 2015, Oct 20. Available online at: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151020005454/en/NeuroPace-RNS%C2%AE-System-Positive-Effects-Memory-Language (Retrieved 4.11.2016)</ref> In several cases it come to some improvements in the cognitive capabilities. Although these findings are inconclusive for they result from very various data.<ref name="AES_ResponsiveNeurostimulation_and_Cognition">SPENCER, D. Responsive Neurostimulation and Cognition. Epilepsy Currents [online]. 2016, March-April, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 98-100. Available online at: http://www.epilepsycurrents.org/doi/full/10.5698/1535-7511-16.2.98 (Retrieved 4.11.2016)</ref> A possible explanation of the alleged cognitive enhancement may rest in reduced seizures. But this is not enhancement of the sort, but rather "side effect" of the successful treatment of epilepsy.

Epilepsy or “seizure disorder” is a chronic disorder, which cause unpredictable seizures of all kinds, which might have all sorts of other consequences. Epilepsy usually has not simple or known cause.<ref name="epilepsyWhatIsEpilepsy">SIRVEN, J.I. What Is Epilepsy? Epilepsy Foundation [online]. 2014, Jan. Available online at: http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/epilepsy-101/what-epilepsy (Retrieved 4.11.2016)</ref> It might be caused some illness (for example brain tumors or Alzheimer’s disease<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures">The Epilepsies and Seizures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [online]. 2015, Aug. Available online at: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/curing_the_epilepsies_brochure.pdf (Retrieved 4.11.2016)</ref>, brain damage, abnormal brain development, genetic mutation (de novo mutations) etc..<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/> But those causes might be very diverse. Epilepsy always arises from brain and is bound to sudden abnormal brain electrical activity.<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/> Clusters of neurons might fire signal faster than normal, which is as many as 500 times a second. That electric activity then cause seizure.<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/> This medical condition is considered, when individual has at least two or more unprovoked seizures separated by 24 hours.<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/> In the United States suffer from epilepsies up to 2.3 million adults and more than 450,000 children. <ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/>

Epilepsy has also some risks associated with the life-threatening conditions, such as "status epilepticus" and "sudden unexpected death". However these cases are very rare. More common risks appear in connection with the injury during seizures.<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/>

There are several possible scenarios with regard to the treatment of epilepsy. Epilepsy might be treated with medications (for example, Carbamezepine, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Topiramate etc.), diet (a hight-fat, very low carbonhydrate ketogenic diet), surgery (only if focal seizures persist after at least two medications or if it is identifiable brain lesions) or devices just like the RNS System. There are some different possible devices to treat the epilepsy, for instance, the Vagus nerve stimulator (approved by the FDA in 1997) or the experimental devices not approved by the FDA: the trigeminal nerve stimulation or the transcutaneous magnetic stimulation.<ref name="NIH_The_Epilepsies_and_Seizures"/>