BACKGROUND Inflammatory events in brain parenchyma and glial tissue are involved in epileptogenesis. Blood concentration of cytokines is shown to be elevated after tonic-clonic seizures. As a result of inflammation, blood-brain barrier leakage occurs. This can be documented by imaging techniques, such is dynamic susceptibility contrast enhanced (DSC) MRI perfusion. Our aim was to check for post...

INTRODUCTION Seizure disorders can have a wide variety of causes. In many cases, however, the underlying cause remains unknown. Vaccinations, for example, can trigger seizures, especially during childhood. In the literature, many cases have been reported in which febrile convulsions occurred after the administration of different types of vaccines, such as the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine ...

In vivo studies suggest that ontogenesis of limbic seizures is determined by the development of the limbic circuit. We have now used the newly-developed in vitro intact interconnected neonatal rat limbic structures preparation to determine the developmental profile of kainate-induced epileptiform activity in the hippocampus and its propagation to other limbic structures. We report gradual alter...

Seizures in adult rats result in long-term deficits in learning and memory, as well as an enhanced susceptibility to further seizures. In contrast, fewer lasting changes have been found following seizures in rats younger than 20 days old. This age-dependency could be due to differing amounts of hippocampal neuronal damage produced by seizures at different ages. To determine if there is an early...

Is there a relationship between peri-ictal slow waves, loss of consciousness, memory, and slow-wave sleep, in patients with different forms of epilepsy? We hypothesize that mechanisms, which result in peri-ictal slow-wave activity as detected by the electroencephalogram, could negatively affect memory processes. Slow waves (≤4 Hz) can be found in seizures with impairment of consciousness and al...

INTRODUCTION Although one third of febrile seizures are complex, a consensus has still not been reached on how to manage them, as is the case with simple febrile seizures. The objective of this study is to estimate the usefulness of complementary examinations and the risk of associated serious intracranial pathology. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective review was conducted from 2003 until 20...

Epilepsy is a complex disease, characterized by the repeated occurrence of bursts of electrical activity (seizures) in specific brain areas. The behavioral outcome of seizure events strongly depends on the brain regions that are affected by overactivity. Here we review the intracellular signaling pathways involved in the generation of seizures in epileptogenic areas. Pathways activated by modul...

We aimed to review recent prospective and cross-sectional studies regarding the gradual and chronic effects of (cumulative) seizures on cognition. In contrast with the increasing evidence of structural changes in the brain associated with repeated seizures, its functional repercussions remain unclear. Methodological difficulties of cross-sectional and prospective studies are addressed. It appea...

Epilepsy is a common, chronic neurological disorder. It is characterized by recurring seizures which are the result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Molecular pathways underlying neuronal death are of importance because prolonged seizure episodes (status epilepticus) cause significant damage to the brain, particularly within vulnerable structures such as the hippocampus. Additional...

PURPOSE Epilepsy is a chronic condition that is best treated in the outpatient clinic setting. However, many epilepsy patients use the hospital emergency room (ER) as a primary resource for seizure management. We studied characteristics of these patients in comparison with patients attending an epilepsy clinic. METHODS We reviewed ER data of patients seen in 2002 and 2003 for seizures, in Van...