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Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...

Epilepsy ll: Types

Epilepsy ll: Types

Recurrent seizures, stemming from abnormal electrical activity in the brain, are the defining characteristic of epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition. Because seizure features vary greatly, epilepsy is classified using two systems: by seizure type and by epilepsy syndromes. These classifications enable clinicians to describe seizure patterns and select suitable treatment strategies.I. Classification by Seizure Type1. Focal EpilepsyFocal epilepsy begins in one hemisphere of the brain.

Seizures l: Introduction

Seizures l: Introduction

Understanding seizures and epilepsy relies on key definitions that help in recognizing, classifying, and managing these disorders. These definitions provide a framework for recognizing, classifying, and managing seizure disorders.DefinitionsA seizure is a sudden, abnormal burst of electrical activity in the brain that can cause changes in awareness, movement, sensation, or behavior, depending on the area involved. Epilepsy is a chronic condition characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures,...

Seizures: Classification

Seizures: Classification

Epilepsy is primarily characterized by unpredictable seizures, either provoked by an identifiable factor, such as injury or illness, or unprovoked, occurring spontaneously without apparent cause.
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early years,...

Long-term Potentiation

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Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Anteromesial Temporal Lobectomy for Medically Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: An Operative Study

Anteromesial Temporal Lobectomy for Medically Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: An Operative Study

Published on: August 15, 2025

Epilepsy. Outcome patterns in epilepsy surgery--the long-term view.

¹Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 1403 29th Street NW, Calgary, AB, Canada. swiebe@ucalgary.ca

Nature Reviews. Neurology

|February 1, 2012

Summary

Predicting epilepsy treatment success is challenging. This study identified seven remission and relapse patterns after surgery, offering new predictors for better postoperative outcomes in epilepsy patients.

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Anteromesial Temporal Lobectomy for Medically Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: An Operative Study

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Published on: August 15, 2025

Frontal Disconnection for Treating Mild Malformation of Cortical Development with Oligodendroglial Hyperplasia in Epilepsy (MOGHE) in the Frontal Lobe

Frontal Disconnection for Treating Mild Malformation of Cortical Development with Oligodendroglial Hyperplasia in Epilepsy (MOGHE) in the Frontal Lobe

Published on: August 16, 2024

Area of Science:

Neurology
Neurosurgery
Clinical Epilepsy Research

Background:

Predicting individual patient response to epilepsy therapy remains a significant clinical challenge.
Understanding long-term outcomes following epilepsy surgery is crucial for patient management and surgical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore long-term surgical outcomes in a cohort of epilepsy patients.
To identify distinct patterns of remission and relapse post-epilepsy surgery.
To calculate the probability of each identified outcome pattern.

Main Methods:

Analysis of a long-term epilepsy patient cohort undergoing surgical intervention.
Identification and classification of remission and relapse patterns.
Statistical calculation of the probability associated with each outcome pattern.

Main Results:

Seven distinct patterns of remission and relapse were identified in the epilepsy surgery cohort.
Probabilities for each of the seven outcome patterns were calculated.
New predictors for postoperative outcomes in epilepsy were established.

Conclusions:

The study provides a novel framework for understanding long-term epilepsy surgery outcomes.
Identified patterns and probabilities can aid in predicting individual patient responses.
These findings offer valuable new predictors for postoperative epilepsy management.