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Chapter 1 of the book "Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus," is presented. The chapter explores the history of nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Greek physician Hippocrates recognized that seizures and epilepsy are brain diseases that affect the speech, hand movements and lungs. Another Greek physician Galen described seizures as idiopathic and proposed that the condition is induced by a dyscrasia of the brain humors due to cold.

An encyclopedia entry for "West syndrome" is presented. It refers to an age-dependent epilepsy of infancy and early childhood with a triad of infantile spasms, mental retardation and hypsarrhythmia. It describes the clinical semiology of the disease and the manifestations shown by continuous videopolygraphic recording. The differential diagnosis of the disease is also discussed.

An encyclopedia entry for "temporal lobe seizures/epilepsy" is presented. It refers to the most common localization-related epilepsy in humans. Partial and complex partial seizures are often associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Mesial TLE usually occurs during early childhood. A childhood history of complex fibrile seizures, as well as status epilepticus may act as the substrate for mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). Particular focus is also given to the semiology of TLE.

An encyclopedia entry for "status epilepticus" (SE) is presented. It refers to a common and life-threatening neurologic emergency that presents prolonged seizures. It notes that the most common type of Se is generalized convulsive SE (GCSE). In the U.S., 42,000 deaths are caused by SE while events total to 195,000.

An encyclopedia entry for "memory" is presented. One of the most common complaints of people with epilepsy is disturbances of memory. Memory dysfunction is usually described as episodic, semantic, declarative and procedural in the field of neuropsychology. These areas control memory function such as data acquisition, retention and retrieval of recent memories.

An encyclopedia entry for the "classification of seizures and epilepsies" is presented. Several classification systems for seizures and epileptic syndromes have been proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). The advantages of the diagnostic syndrome-oriented five-dimensional and patient-oriented classification systems are cited. The symptoms of different types of seizures and epilepsies are also outlined.

An encyclopedia entry for "absence epilepsy" is presented. It offers clinical information on absence epilepsy, which refers to the prototype for the idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE). Absence seizure is characterized with an alteration in consciousness alone or with additional features. It is also described as having abrupt arrest of ongoing activities, stare, eye fluttering and brief impairment of consciousness.

An encyclopedia entry for "versive seizures" is presented. This type of seizure is characterized by eye deviation involving the eyes (oculogyric seizures), with or without head involvement, with or without addition truncal rotation (gyratory seizures). Information is provided on gyratory seizures. It offers an overview of semiologic features of seizures which suggest a region of onset or propagation.

An encyclopedia entry for "treatment," in relation to epilepsy, is presented. The treatment of epilepsy is intended to decrease seizures and improve the patient's quality of life. Treatment include antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), surgical intervention and vagal nerve stimulation. AEDs can suppress the frequency of seizures and treat them as a symptom. AED is recommended in patients with more than one spontaneous seizure. Valproate and lamotrigine- or carbamazepine-related AEDs may be effective therapies with selection based upon individual characteristics.

An encyclopedia entry for "sports" is presented. It notes that people suffering from epilepsy are encouraged to be active in sports. It asserted that participation in sporting events should be customized for an individual in order to maximize its benefits. On the other hand, hyperventilation may trigger seizures.

An encyclopedia entry for "sleep and epilepsy" is presented. It notes that sleep is a well-documented factor that affect the occurrence and morphology of seizures. It asserts that sleep disorders such as sleep apnea may result to seizures, as they cause sleep fragmentation and chronic sleep deprivation.

An encyclopedia entry for "Rasmussen's Encephalitis" is presented. It is a rare childhood disorder of progressive hemispheric atrophy of the brain linked to cognitive dysfunction, hemiparesis and epilepsy. A proven effective treatment of seizures linked to the disorder is epilepsy surgery disconnecting and resecting the abnormal hemisphere.

An encyclopedia entry for "photosensitivity" is presented. It refers to the triggering of clinical seizures or the demonstration of bursts of spontaneous interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) on the electroencephalogram (EEG) by light. Photosensitivity may less frequently be associated with some encephalopathic generalized epilepsies, and it may occur independent of clinical seizures.

An encyclopedia entry for "pregnancy" is presented. More than 1.1 million women in the U.S. have epilepsy, including pregnant women with epilepsy (WWE). Epileptic women conceive with increased frequency. Also, 40% of pregnancies are unplanned. Epilepsy serves as an individual risk factor for birth defects in the offspring of these women but does not appear to be linked with greater teratogenicity beyond those linked with antiepileptic agents (AED).

An encyclopedia entry for "positron emission tomography (PET) " is presented. It refers to a functional neuroimaging technique that has proven useful in the localization of seizure foci and in exploration of the underlying in vivo assessment of physiologic functions of epilepsy in humans. The PET scanning process usually involves interictal injection of a radioactive isotope tagged to a physiologic probe, which is taken up in a particular part of brain following preparation of the radioactive isotope by a cyclotron.

An encyclopedia entry for "partial (focal) seizures" is presented. Partial seizures which have a focal onset are associated with localization-related epilepsy and reflect seizures arising from neuroanatomic or functional neuronal activation restricted to part of one hemisphere. Most commonly originating in the temporal lobes, partial seizures are divided into three groups, including simple partial seizures without impairment of consciousness and complex partial seizures with impaired consciousness.

An encyclopedia entry for "Occipital Lobe Epilepsy" is presented. It offers clinical information on occipital lobe epilepsy, which is characterized with partial seizures that start with a sudden change in visual function. Such visual function changes may include unformed visual hallucinations, colored lights appearing and stereotypic hallucinations. Syndromes associated with occipital lobe epilepsy include benign occipital epilepsy of childhood, migraine and cryptogenic occipital lobe epilepsy.

An encyclopedia entry for "juvenile myoclonic epilepsy" (JME) is presented. It is considered an idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) syndrome with a polygenetic basis caused not by a single but by multiple genes and other factors and is characterized by myoclonic jerks, generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures, and sometimes absence seizures. The defining characteristic of the syndrome is myoclonic seizures, which usually starts in adolescence, typically between 8 and 18 years of age.

An encyclopedia entry for "interictal epileptiform discharges" (IED) is presented. IED represents a distinctive group of waveforms that are characteristically seen in persons with epilepsy. The interictal electroencephalography (EEG) during epilepsy may reveal paroxysmal bursts or phase-reversals that are paroxysmal occurring as single events or in bursts and mimic abnormal IEDs. It notes on the important role of EEG in providing ancillary support for a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy.

An encyclopedia entry for "First Seizure" is presented. Age is an important factor in the specific incidence of a first seizure in children. Particular focus is given to results of studies on the risk of recurrence following an idiopathic first seizure. According to studies, electroencephalography (EEG) is a useful tool for prognosis and in predicting the risk of seizure recurrence. The prognosis of developing epilepsy is not affected by early treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).

An encyclopedia entry for "epilepsy with continuous spike waves of slow sleep (CSWS)" is presented. This entry identifies CSWS as an epileptic encephalopathy with clinical features of cognitive and behavioral disturbances. It notes the clinical features of CSWS, including neuropsychological impairment that represents a global loss of cognitive milestones.

An encyclopedia entry for "elderly and epilepsy" is presented. It states that elderly people with epilepsy (PWE) are classified as those at least 65 years old. It notes that the number of elderly PWE has increased to make this population an important target for treatment. It adds that the elderly living in institutional settings such as nursing homes, have an increased prevalence of treatment targeted toward epilepsy.

An encyclopedia entry for "EEG (electroencephalography)" is presented. It states that EEG has played a significant role in the evaluation of seizures and is composed of an amplified electrical signal derived from cerebral neuronal activity. It notes that EEG also offers information on the classification of the seizure type and syndrome as well as the characterization of seizures for the purposes of epilepsy surgery.

An encyclopedia entry for "women with epilepsy" is presented. Challenges that involve seizures, treatment of seizures and developing as females in society are encountered by women with epilepsy. It describes the changes in seizures frequency that may be influenced by menarche and menopause. The importance of bone health and general health issues for postmenopausal women is also cited.

An encyclopedia entry for the "Wada test" is presented. It refers to a procedure named after Doctor Juhn Wada that is used preoperatively to evaluate hemispheric lateralization of language and memory function in patients undergoing epilepsy surgery evaluation. It outlines the methods involved in conducting the test, including interventional radiology, neurology, and neuropsychology. It relates the steps in conducting the Wada test. Information is provided on the applications of Wada testing such as evaluation of patients for epilepsy surgery.

An encyclopedia entry for "Wilson's disease" is presented. It refers to a disorder of copper metabolism with hepatic and neurologic sequelae. It relates that about 6% of patients with the disease experienced epilepsy. Seizures may herald the onset of the disease and appear more often while receiving treatment with the use of chelation treatment.

An encyclopedia entry for "vitamins" is presented. It discusses the role of vitamins and dietary supplements in the treatment of persons with epilepsy (PWE). Replacement therapy is recommended for seizures caused by pyridoxine deficiency. It explains the need for vitamin B12 and folate supplementation in patients taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) since these nutrients may be depleted in AED therapy. It provides an overview of bone health issues in PWE.

An encyclopedia entry for "aggressiveness" is presented. It refers to behavior with intent to damage, while violence represents aggressiveness with damage directed toward people or goods. It discusses the aggressiveness and violence among patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. It relates that research has found that cases of ictal or postictal aggression have occurred in patients with chronic medically intractable focal epilepsy of frontal or temporal lobe origin.

An encyclopedia entry for "video-electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring" is presented. It relates the use of video-EEG monitoring in the differential diagnosis, classification, or presurgical characterization in patients with recurrent seizures. It discusses the use of telemetry and digital-EEG. It discusses the importance of video-EEG in the presurgical evaluation of patients with medically intractable epilepsy.

An encyclopedia entry for "Unverricht-Lundborg Disease" is presented. The disease also known as Baltic myoclonus was first described in 1891 and serves as the protoype of the progressive myoclonus epilepsies. It relates the high incidence of the disease among people in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions, as well as Estonia, Finland and southeast Sweden. It outlines the features of this progressive myoclonic epilepsy (PME). It describes the impact of cystatin B on the disease.

An encyclopedia entry for "tumors of the brain," in relation to epilepsy, is presented. Epilepsy is common in patients with brain tumors and cancer. Seizures are a major source of morbidity and reduced quality of life. Particular focus is given to the influence of tumor histology on seizure frequency. Lesions such as anaplastic astrocytomas, glioblastoma multiforme or metastatic lesions are also found to be associated with seizures.

An encyclopedia entry for "vaccines" in relation to epilepsy is presented. It relates the alleged role of pertussis vaccines in the occurrence of encephalopathy, refractory epilepsy, and cognitive and intellectual impairment. Encephalitis and epilepsy may also be caused by smallpox vaccines. It provides an overview of large-scale studies which investigated the role of pertussis vaccine in epilepsy.

An encyclopedia entry for "transient paroxysmal dystonia in infancy" is presented. It refers to a disorder which consists of axial contraction and opisthotonos without impairment of consciousness. It mimics epileptic seizures with a frequency that varies from once a day to once a month. Seizures may remit spontaneously or may become worse between the 6th and 22nd months. Infantile spasms, tonic seizures and dystonia are included in the differential diagnosis.

An encyclopedia entry for "tonic-clonic seizure" is presented. It is the most feared of all seizures which is characterized by an evolution through three different phases. The tonic phase lasts 10-20 seconds and is associated with sudden tonic stiffening, elevation of the eyebrows and loss of consciousness. The clonic phase lasts about 30 seconds and gives way to rhythmic one-way contraction of the limbs and facial muscles. The postictal phase involves a brief tonic phase with urinary incontinence and deep breathing.

An encyclopedia entry for "suicide" is presented. It is noted that people with epilepsy (PWE) are ten times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. Risk factors associated with suicide include an axis 1 diagnosis, physical health problems, family issues and life stressors. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned against the connection between antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and suicidal thoughts and behavior.

An encyclopedia entry for "symptomatogenic zone" is presented. It refers to a site associated with behavioral seizures. It notes that the symptomatogenic zone maybe located at a distance from the precise location of the epileptogenic zone. It asserts that clinical features of seizures are stereotyped because of specific pathways.

An encyclopedia entry for "symptomatic epilepsy" is presented. It refers to an acquired kind of epilepsy caused by an underlying identifiable etiology. It notes that these epilepsy may be caused by lesions such as those obtained from trauma, brain tumor or stroke. It is also characterized by various seizure types.

An encyclopedia entry for "surgery for epilepsy" is presented. It is noted that people with epilepsy (PWE) gain more benefits from surgical therapy than taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The standard of care in the U.S. for common epilepsy surgery is temporal lobectomy. Palliative surgery lessens occurrence of seizure and improves quality of life.

An encyclopedia entry for "epileptic syndrome" is presented. It consists of epilepsy characterized by a constellation of signs and symptoms, including type of seizure, etiology, anatomy and severity. Particular focus is given to the disadvantages of specifying epileptic syndromes. Proposals by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) to classify epilepsy syndromes included ictal semiology, seizure type, etiology and prognosis.

An encyclopedia entry for "stigma" is presented. It refers to an identifying characteristic perceived negatively by others not affected by the condition. It notes that stigma can be seen as discrimination against an individual suffering from epilepsy. A study in the U.S. found that 27.3 percent of respondents believe that one will die if he experiences a seizure.

An encyclopedia entry for "stereostatic depth electroencephalography" (SDEEG) is presented. It refers to an invasive technique of implanting recording depth electrodes made up of bundled wires into the brain. It notes that these electrodes have been used to evaluate temporal lobe epilepsy based on the occurrence of intractable complex partial seizures.

A list of resources that can provide information related to seizures and epilepsy is presented, including the Epilepsy Foundation, the Epilepsy Institute, and the Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE).

An encyclopedia entry for "situation-related seizures" is presented. It refers to seizures that are synonomous with provoked seizures and acute symptomatic seizures. It discusses three categories that have been most commonly found with respect to etiology, including febrile seizures and seizures the arise in association with medical conditions or systemic disorders.

An encyclopedia entry for "single seizure" is presented. It refers to the first or only seizure that occurs spontaneously without a clear cause. The importance of the concept lies in the notion that a single isolated seizure does not represent the diagnosis of epilepsy with its attendant medical and psychosocial consequences. It is recommended that antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy be considered after a single unprovoked seizure.

An encyclopedia entry for "sialidoses" is presented. It refers to a group of disorders of lysosomes due to alpha-N-acetyl neuraminidase abnormalities. Among its clinical features are a progressive myclonus epilepsy, bilateral cherry-red spots visible on fundoscopic examination, and enzymatic abnormalities in leukocytes. The entry also presents a description of two phenotypes of sialidoses.

An encyclopedia entry for "Reflex Seizures" is presented. This seizure may manifest as partial seizures or generalized seizures and may occur in 4 to 7% of patients with epilepsy. It primarily consists of recurrent seizures triggered by an environmental stimulus. They are also precipitated by sensory, proprioceptive, motor or cognitive stimuli.

An encyclopedia entry for "Prolactin" is presented. It refers to a lactogenic polypeptide hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary under dopaminergic control from the hypothalamus. Serum prolactin levels, considered a peripheral marker of hypothalamic neurotransmitter activity, may potentially rise after epileptic seizures involving the hypothalamic region. These levels may also rise after repetitive seizures.

An encyclopedia entry for "Refractory Epilepsy" is presented. Seizures in these type of epilepsies are not controlled by antiepileptic drugs (AED). Synonymous terms used to refer to this condition include pharmacoresistant, intractable, uncontrolled and treatment-resistant epilepsy. Pseudo-resistance usually occur when seizures are refractory due to inadequate or inappropriate therapy.

An encyclopedia entry for "Psychosocial Problems" is presented. Psychosocial problems are more common in childhood epilepsy that continue into adulthood despite the patient being neurologically and intellectually normal. Among the common comorbidities that have psychosocial effects within the family are learning disabilities, mental illness, attention deficit disorder and mental retardation.

An encyclopedia entry for "Prognosis" is presented. A study comparing prevalence and incidence ratios suggested that the mean duration of epilepsy is 12 to 13 years. Remission rates for epilepsy with treatment also vary based on the findings of a study. Among the favorable prognostic factors for remission are a young age of onset, early age at diagnosis, generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizure type, idiopathic or cryptogenic etiology and normal neurologic examination and neuroimaging.