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Chapter 33 - Seizure disorders

overview

from Section 5 - Seizure disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

By
Thomas R. Henry  and
Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele
Edited by
Jonathan H. Gillard ,
Adam D. Waldman  and
Peter B. Barker
Jonathan H. Gillard
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Adam D. Waldman
Affiliation:
Imperial College London
Peter B. Barker
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
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Summary

Seizures and epilepsies

Epilepsy is the most common of disabling neurological conditions, and seizures are among the most common of neurological symptoms. Seizures are paroxysmal, transitory events that alter consciousness or other cortical function, and they result from episodic neurologic, psychiatric, or extracerebral (particularly cardiovascular) dysfunction. Epileptic seizures are distinguished from other such events by their abnormally synchronized electrical discharges in localized or widely distributed groups of cerebral neurons; such hypersynchronous discharges do not occur during organic or psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, certain of which may produce behaviors closely resembling those of epileptic seizures. Many individuals experience a single generalized tonic–clonic seizure at some time in life, which can be caused by electrolyte disturbances, hypoglycemia, or other extracerebral conditions. Epilepsy is diagnosed only when persisting cerebral dysfunction causes recurring epileptic seizures. Approximately 5% of the general population has one or more epileptic seizure during their lifetimes. At any point in time, 1–2% of the population has epilepsy; cumulative lifetime incidence exceeds 3%. Seizures are refractory to control with antiepileptic drugs in more than 30% of all epilepsies, but the incidence of drug refractoriness varies considerably across the wide range of epileptic syndromes.[3]

Type
Chapter
Information
Clinical MR Neuroimaging
Physiological and Functional Techniques
 , pp. 519 - 525
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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