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Epilepsy
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Definition of Epilepsy
Epilepsy is any of various neurological disorders characterized by sudden recurring attacks of motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures.
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What if seizures arise from more than one location?
Epilepsy surgery typically involves removing a single area of the brain that has been shown to be the source of the person's seizures. The doctors locate this area by performing a variety of diagnostic tests as part of the presurgical assessment.
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Small studies show successful use of DBS
Most of the researchers testing DBS in patients with epilepsy have stimulated the anterior thalamic nucleus, a structure in the lower central part of the brain.. At the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society in December 2000, two studies of deep brain stimulation in humans were reported during a symposium on neurostimulation.
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The Cutting Edge: Research in Deep Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a medical therapy in which an implanted device delivers electrical stimulation to regions deep in the brain. Some uses of DBS to treat movement disorders such as tremor and Parkinson's disease are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, while other uses are considered investigational. The use of DBS to treat epilepsy is in the early stages of research.
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Meeting News: Do Seizures Damage the Brain?
This important conference examined the scientific evidence about whether isolated, brief seizures have a negative effect on brain function. The evidence suggests that these seizures do have a negative effect and possibly result in loss of specific brain cells. However, the evidence also indicates that this is not true for all forms of epilepsy. We also do not yet know the consequences of these effects for thinking, memory, mood, and other aspects of daily life.
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Rewriting History: Did All Those Famous People Really Have Epilepsy?
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.” But what if the “version of past events are disputed?” Where does that leave history and more importantly who determines the accuracy of these events? Dr. John Hughes, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago decided to dive headlong into this question while researching the extensive timeline of historical figures reported to have suffered with epilepsy. “History is only as accurate as how carefully we’ve looked at these events. If we don’t carefully examine events reported to be epileptic seizures, then we are misled into the diagnosis of epilepsy”, said Hughes. Hughes investigated 43 historical figures reported to have had epilepsy ranging chronologically from Pythagorus, born in 582 BC, to the actor Richard Burton, born in 1925. According to Hughes, “All of these people had been reported to have had various kinds of attacks, but they did
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New Study Reveals Significant Link between Depression and Anxiety and Decrease in Quality of Life in Epilepsy Patients
While both depression and anxiety are common mood disorders in the general population, there is a growing body of evidence that the prevalence rate of these disorders is also substantial in people with epilepsy. Based on this premise Joyce Cramer, Associate Research Scientist, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University and colleagues recently conducted a study examining symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among epilepsy patients whose seizures were not fully controlled. Their findings were published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior (Cramer JA, Brandenburg N, Xu X. Differentiating anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with partial epilepsy.
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Classification of Epilepsies and Epileptic Syndromes
What we call epilepsy is not just one disorder. The epilepsies are a diverse group of disorders, with some shared features and some that are distinctly different. A classification system provides us with a logical, organized approach and gives us a universal language shared among health professionals all over the world.
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When Epilepsy Goes By Another Name
In her book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman tells the story of Lia Lee, a young Hmong girl whose epilepsy was diagnosed in Merced, California. The title of Ms. Fadiman's book describes the Hmong translation of the word "epilepsy." Ms. Fadiman writes about the treatments recommended for Lia by her doctors in California and the conflicts that arose between this Western medical approach and the traditional Hmong cultural beliefs about epilepsy adhered to by Lia's parents.
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Perspectives on the Wada test
Prior to my brain surgery, I was given a test to determine if language and memory reside in the side of my brain not causing seizures. The Wada test is given by injecting sodium amytal [amobarbital] into the left and right internal carotid arteries, at separate times, causing a "freeze" (that is, putting part of the brain to sleep) to determine individual capabilities. The patient is then shown objects and asked for their names. The freeze wears off after approximately 4 minutes. Choosing which objects were shown during the freeze tests memory.
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What It's Like To Get An MRI
Introduced in the 1980s, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses a strong magnet instead of x-rays to take pictures of the brain. It is one of the best and most precise mechanisms for examining the brain, so it is extremely common for doctors to use MRI for diagnosis in epilepsy. It allows them to look at nerve tissue, the flow of blood and spinal fluid, and any tumors or other localized changes or injuries.
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Have You Ever Wondered About the EEG?
The EEG test, electroencephalography, is a 20- to 45-minute procedure that provides information about brain function with the use of electrodes. Marked with a grease pencil, measurements of circumference calculate where electrodes will be placed on the scalp. Equidistant electrodes ensure an exact recording of the entire brain. The scalp is cleaned with a slightly abrasive paste to improve recording quality. Oil and hair products on the scalp could hinder recording quality.
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Why is Classification Important?
The correct classification of each person's epilepsy by seizure type and epilepsy syndrome is important for proper treatment. Identifying the type of seizure has the most immediate influence on therapy. If the seizure is classified incorrectly, the seizure medicine that the doctor prescribes not only may not help but actually may make the seizures worse. For example, a man who had two generalized tonic-clonic seizures while he was sleeping was thought to have partial seizures and was given Tegretol (carbamazepine). The man continued to have an occasional tonic-clonic seizure during sleep even though he took his medicine faithfully. Several months later, he had an EEG after a period of sleep deprivation. This test showed a pattern of generalized spike-and-wave discharges, which is a sign of a generalized seizure. His medicine was changed to Depakote (valproate), which is the drug of choice to treat generalized seizures. The new seizure medicine completely stopped his seizures.
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The Concerns of Older Adults With Epilepsy
What are the concerns of older adults with epilepsy? This was the question posed by researcher Roy Martin, Associate Professor, University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Department of Neurology, Laura Vogtle, Associate Professor, UAB Department of Occupational Therapy, Frank Gilliam, Professor of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center and Edward Faught, Professor, UAB Department of Neurology in a recent study which included 33 adults age 60 and older. The goal of the study was to examine the concerns expressed by older adults with epilepsy (OAE) living with recurrent seizures. All participants in the study were being treated for intractable partial epilepsy and all were receiving antiepileptic drug therapy. Participants were each given a blank sheet of paper and asked to write down any concerns they had about living with epilepsy in order of importance.
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N.J. State Law Causes Concern in Epilepsy Community
Often times, the wrongful death of a loved one leaves the grieving family with more than just a gaping hole in their lives—it can also serve as a catalyst for public awareness and education efforts. In the case of Danielle Gruskowski, her grieving family’s awareness efforts surpassed the realm of local awareness and into the legal arena thus, culminating in the enactment of New Jersey State Law, Danielle’s Law. And while the impetus behind the law was forged with love and concern, many people with epilepsy in the state of New Jersey as well as nationally are fearful of the inherent negative ramifications and long-term consequences Danielle’s law may have on their lives.
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