Transcutaneous Non-invasive Stimulation of the Vagus Nerve for the Treatment of Difficult-to-treat Epilepsy

Inclusion Criteria: * Written Informed Consent * Patients of both gender, aged from 18-75 years * Diagnosis of epilepsy according to the diagnosis criteria of the DSM IV/ ICD 10 (especially G 40.1 /G 40.2/ G 40.3) * Insufficient response to at least one attempt of treatment in medical history with anticonvulsive medication, dosed sufficiently long and high * Antiepileptic Drugs (AED) therapy must be stable at a level that promises long-term continuity for at least 10 before study start and has to be continued for at least 3 months during treatment phase Exclusion Criteria: * Absence of Informed Consent * Pregnancy * Psychiatric diseases, especially post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders, schizophrenia, Borderline personality disorders (BPD), character disorders as well as major depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and eating disorders as comorbidity. * Abuse of drugs and alcohol until 12 weeks before study start * Cerebrovascular diseases * Dementia * Severe traumatic brain injury in medical history including invasive and non-invasive methods of therapy (tumor surgery, "Gamma Knife Surgery") * Indications of structural impairment of the basal ganglia or the brain stem * active implants (e.g. cochlea implants, VNS, pacemaker) * Severe neurological diseases (e.g. Morbus Parkinson, systemic neurologic diseases * severe internistic diseases (e.g. arterial hypertension, respiratory failure) * Bronchial asthma * malignant diseases of any kind, within five years before study start * Severe active infectious diseases (e.g. HIV, hepatitis) * Bone diseases (e.g. Morbus Paget, recent fractures) * Diseases of the ENT body system: Hearing loss of the left ear which is treated with a hearing instrument, all dermatologic and infectious diseases which affect the area around the pinna and the ear canal, severe malformation of the pinna * Vagotomy * Concurrent participation in other studies * Other circumstances that in the opinion of the investigator might be an obstacle for enrolling the subject