TITLE:
Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Precision Functional Foods for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Bridging Next-Generation Food Processing, Gut-Brain Axis Modulation, and Intracranial Electrophysiology
AUTHORS:
Chao Jiang, Xin Liu, Junhe Cui, Yaning Ding, Chenyang Bai, Zhiqiang Cui, Chuang Guo
KEYWORDS:
Artificial Intelligence, Precision Nutrition, Next-Generation Food Processing, Drug-Resistant Epilepsy, Gut-Brain Axis, Functional Foods, Stereo-Electroencephalography (SEEG), Microbiome, Medium-Chain Triglycerides, Microencapsulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.3,
March
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: Despite significant advancements in antiseizure medications and surgical interventions, drug-resistant epilepsy continues to affect approximately one-third of all epilepsy patients. While intracranial stereoelectroen-cephalography and subsequent resection effectively target focal epileptogenic zones, these invasive interventions fail to address the systemic neuroinflammation and network-level hyperexcitability that drive seizure chronicity. Emerging evidence highlights the microbiota gut-brain axis as a critical modulator of this systemic milieu, where intestinal dysbiosis and disrupted blood-brain barrier integrity lower the seizure threshold. This comprehensive review proposes a novel, interdisciplinary paradigm that shifts the focus from traditional, broadly restrictive diets to artificial-intelligence-driven precision nutrition implemented through next-generation food processing technologies. We specifically explore how advanced fermentation, microencapsulation, and nanoemulsion techniques can engineer prescription grade functional foods (medical foods with standardized bioactive content), including customized synbiotics and bioavailable medium chain triglycerides, to restore microbial homeostasis and suppress microglial activation. Recent evidence demonstrates that dietary fiber content in ketogenic formulations significantly modifies gut microbiome composition and seizure resistance through microbial pathways independent of ketosis intensity, underscoring the potential of precision food engineering. Furthermore, we emphasize the revolutionary role of artificial intelligence in analyzing patient specific multi-omics data to compute and match individualized neuro-nutritional formulations. Machine learning algorithms enable the transition from empirical dietary trials to predictive, computationally optimized interventions. These approaches essentially create digital gut twins that mirror patient specific metabolic requirements. Finally, we establish the necessity of bridging food science with clinical neurophysiology by utilizing continuous scalp electroencephalography and invasive stereoelectroen-cephalography as objective, quantifiable biomarkers. Clinicians can rigorously validate the neuromodulatory efficacy of precision functional foods through monitoring of interictal epileptiform discharges and high-frequency oscillations. Ultimately, the convergence of artificial intelligence, advanced food technology, and high-resolution electrophysiology offers a transformative, non-invasive adjunctive strategy for managing drug-resistant epilepsy, paving the way for precision neuro-nutrition. This paradigm directly addresses frontier areas in food science, including artificial intelligence and precision food technology, next-generation food processing, and gut-brain axis innovations, while establishing regulatory frameworks for clinical grade functional foods in neurological care.