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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 "Neonatal Seizures" is presented. It offers clinical information on neonatal seizures, which occur during the first four weeks of life. Neonatal seizures include clonic seizures, myoclonic and tonic seizures. It may also manifest with eye movements, poorly coordinated limb movements and apneic episodes. Its clinical management may include supportive child care, and judicious utilization of antiepileptic drugs (AED).

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 "Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome" is presented. It refers to one of the encephalopathic generalized epilepsies with characteristic electroencephalograph (EEG) abnormalities. Lennox syndrome is another name for the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). LGS symptoms include tonic seizures, interictal EEG abnormalities and cognitive dysfunction. Particular focus is given to the incidence of LGS, along with predisposing factors for LGS. The condition has a poor overall prognosis.

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 "antiepileptic drugs (AEDS)" is presented. It highlights the availability of treatment options for epilepsy after 1993 due to the emergence of new-generation AEDS for patients with seizures. Variations in the AED of choice are based on experience, personal preference, desire to avoid particular side effects, as well as cost convenience issues.

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 "sodium valproate" is presented. It relates how the use of valproate in the treatment of epilepsy was discovered. Aside from epilepsy, valproate is also used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and migraine prevention. It discusses the efficacy of valproic acid (VPA) in treating epilepsy and compares its effectiveness with other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).

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 "syncope" is presented. It refers to a sudden brief loss of consciousness caused by a relative ischemia to the brain due to a decrease in cerebral blood flow. It accounts for 3 percent of emergency department (ED) visitations in the U.S. It notes that syncope is similar to seizure.

An encyclopedia entry for "somatosensory and other sensory seizures" is presented. It refers to seizures that present sensory manifestations. Examples of which are alterations of body sensation, temperature change, paresthesias and pain. It notes that perception of tinnitus may be the result of auditory 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 "Rolandic epilepsy (Benign Childhood Epilepsy With Centro-Temporal Spikes)" is presented. It refers to the most frequent localization-related epilepsy syndrome in childhood. The syndrome is considered benign based on the prognosis in which the ultimate likelihood of remission before puberty is high. It is noted that the condition can occur in previously normal children without neurologic or intellectual deficit.

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 "psychosis" is presented. This condition covers a mental expanse that reflects a disintegration of self and its connection to nonself with common features, including impaired content and coherence of thought, reduced connection to reality, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and behavior and extremes of affect and motivation. It is more common among people with epilepsy (PWE).