Epilepsy

The ultimate cause is found in only about half of patients, so improved understanding of the prognostic and diagnostic features is of high priority.

Favorable long-term results for patients with hard-to-treat epilepsy who undergo brain surgery offer good information for decision-making and counseling.

Symptoms occur in nearly 1 in 5 adults who have epilepsy. Their presence may have severe implications for patients’ quality of life.

The largest study of its kind shows that 8 in 1000 people have epilepsy--a distinctly higher incidence than previously thought. Details and implications in this podcast.

By localizing the portion of the brain responsible for seizures and envisioning long-term outcomes, this imaging combination helps guide clinical decision making.

This yellow CSF was drawn from an HIV-positive man who presented with status epilepticus. What is the most likely cause?

What happens before the demyelinating lesions of MS appear? Does smoking confer protection against Parkinson disease? How is NMDA receptor-associated disease reversed? Here are 4 fine papers from 2014 that set out to answer these questions.

New research sheds light on epilepsy concerns, particularly the link between cardiac abnormalities and sudden unexpected death.

Get to the root of the latest research findings on nervous system disorders and test your brainpower with this quick 5-question quiz.

The ketogenic and the modified Atkins diets, high in fat and low in carbohydrates, could reduce these seizures, suggesting that clinicians bring them into the treatment discussion.

Patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy appear to have modest cognitive defects and imaging abnormalities early on that are unlikely to be associated with anti-epileptic therapy. This is a clear departure from traditional teaching.

The possibility of SUDEP should serve as a powerful motivator for improved adherence and active attempts at seizure control with new medications, neurostimulation, and epilepsy surgery.

Choosing a technique for a particular drug resistant patient is a judgment call based on the results of the patient’s monitoring, clinician experience, and many other factors.

The knowledge that a patient is at high or low risk for late seizures has the potential to improve patient care.

Persons with epilepsy have a higher prevalence of comorbid conditions-psychiatric disorders in particular-than the general population.

As clinicians, we can daily apply knowledge learned from a few patients with pure amnesia to patients we see often-those who have memory deficits, such as so-called Mild Cognitive Impairment and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's.

Recent studies are showing that patients with autoimmune associated epilepsy may respond favorably to immunosuppression and that many of affected patients lack the full-fledged syndromes that have received so much attention.