Showing papers by "José E Cavazos published in 2006"

An Introduction to Epilepsy

Abstract: Introduction Throughout its recorded history of at least 3 to 4 millennia, epilepsy has usually been defined by its most visible and dramatic symptom, i.e. mysterious brief periodic attacks of one kind or another. Thus the ancient Sumerian term ‘antasubba’ and the later Babylonian and Assyrian word ‘miqtu’ both refer to ‘the falling sickness’ (Kinnier Wilson and Reynolds 1990), a term also adopted by the Greeks and Romans and employed by Temkin (1971) as the title of his classic history of epilepsy ‘from the Greeks to the beginning of modern neurology’, i.e. the late nineteenth century. Since the nineteenth century the paroxysms have been variously referred to as ‘fits’, ‘convulsions’, ‘seizures’ or ‘epileptic attacks’. Currently the word ‘seizure’ is favoured by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in its classification of such paroxysmal episodes, but whatever word is chosen there are always similar or borderline nonepileptic attacks to confuse the physician in the differential diagnosis. The word ‘epilepsy’ is of Greek origin and means to seize, to take hold of or to attack. The word ‘seizure’ is of Latin origin from ‘sacire’, i.e. to claim. These words reflect the ancient belief that the sufferer has been seized or claimed by a supernatural power, spirit or god.

Basic Mechanisms Underlying Seizures and Epilepsy

Abstract: A. Definitions A seizure (from the Latin sacire—to take possession of) is the clinical manifestation of an abnormal, excessive, hypersynchronous discharge of a population of cortical neurons. Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by recurrent seizures unprovoked by an acute systemic or neurologic insult. Epileptogenesis is the sequence of events that turns a normal neuronal network into a hyperexcitable network. (Slide 2)