Epilepsy – History, Definitions, and Diagnosis

In the second century AD, the physician Galen was able to categorize epilepsy has originating from the brain (termed idiopathic) or other body parts (termed sympathetic) with subsequent involvement of the brain, based on the behavioural manifestations of a seizure.¹ He al…

References:
1. Sidiropoulou K, Diamantis A, Magiorkinis E. Hallmarks in 18th- and 19th-century epilepsy research. Epilepsy Behav 2010; 18 (3): 151‒161.
2. Magiorkinis E, Diamantis A, Sidiropoulou K, Panteliadis C. Highlights in the history of epilepsy: The last 200 years.…

Hans Berger has been credited with the invention of the EEG. His first EEG was recorded in July 1924, during neurosurgery on a 17-year-old boy. Following development of non-invasive EEG recording and its use in males and females of different ages he concluded that brainwa…

Whereas the effects of phenobarbital and potassium bromide in epilepsy were identified by chance, the discovery and development of phenytoin in the 1930s initiated a systematic search for chemically related and unrelated compounds with efficacy against seizures.¹ The firs…

Synchronization in epilepsy and seizures may increase or decrease, i.e., desynchronization.² Synchronization is determined according to how it changes over time – an increasing trend in coupling between microdomains indicates synchronization, whereas a decrease in couplin…

References:
1. Fisher RS, Cross JH, French JA, et al. Operational classification of seizure types by the International League Against Epilepsy: Position paper of the ILAE Commission for Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia 2017; 58 (4): 522‒530.
2. Beniczky S, Trinka…

The slide shows the classification of seizures according to the International League Against Epilepsy classification.¹ There are three main classes of seizure – focal, unknown, and generalized – within which there are many different types.¹ The state of consciousness shou…

One-third of patients with epilepsy who undergo continuous EEG monitoring exhibit periodic discharges or rhythmic activity that lie on a spectrum known as the ictal‒interictal continuum.³ Depending on the type of these discharges there is a certain risk of seizures and al…

Under ideal circumstances every patient should be categorized for each of the four axes, although this may not always be possible.¹ At the initial presentation, age and semiology will typically be apparent, whereas the aetiology may take time to determine.¹ EEG will likel…