To the Editor: Inspired by C. P. Panayiotopoulos’ letter to you and F. Andermann’s response about epilepsy of Kozhevnikov (Epilepsia 2002:43:948–9), I would like to defend the famous name of John Hughlings Jackson because it seems to me his importance is underestimated. His priority in study of convulsions in brain connected to motor cortex is obvious. He was the first to use epilepsy as an ins...

This work reviews the current knowledge on epileptogenesis and pathophysiology of epilepsy. Recently, gene defects underlying four monogenic epilepsies (generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures, autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, benign familial neonatal convulsions and episodic ataxia type 1 with partial seizures) have been identified, shedding new light on the pathophysiolo...

PURPOSE The understanding of causation of epilepsy, especially in resource poor African countries where prevalence rates are very high, would aid strategies for primary prevention. This study sought to determine the causes of epilepsy in Nigerian Africans and health-itinerary of patients with epilepsy. METHOD This was an observational, cross-sectional descriptive study of consecutive newly di...

Dravet syndrome, or as it was called in the past 'severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy', is a drug-resistant epilepsy first described by Charlotte Dravet in 1978. Besides the well-known and well-described therapy resistance, Dravet syndrome dramatically impacts the development and behaviour of the affected children. As it is still not a curable disease, families need to be taught how to cope wi...

The muscarinic-regulated potassium current (M-current), formed by the heteromeric assembly of subunits encoded by the KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 genes, is a primary regulator of neuronal excitability; this regulation is accomplished by impeding repetitive firing and causing spike-frequency adaptation. Mutations in KCNQ2 or KCNQ3 cause benign familial neonatal convulsions (BFNC), a rare autosomal-dominant ...

OBJECTIVE Recognition of risk factors for febrile seizures (FS) and epilepsy is essential. Studies regarding the role of melatonin in these convulsive disorders are limited. This study determines the relationship between serum melatonin levels and FS and epilepsy in children. MATERIALS & METHODS A population of 111 children with simple FS, complex FS, and epilepsy (37 children per group, resp...

Febrile seizures (FSs) are seizures that occur during fever, usually at the time of a cold or flu, and represent the most common cause of seizures in the pediatric population. Up to 5% of children between the ages of six months and five years-of-age will experience a FS. Clinically these seizures are categorized as benign events with little impact on the growth and development of the child. How...

Twenty eight Norwegian patients with epilepsy (16 male and 12 female patients, aged 10-50) were examined. All had been treated with phenytoin for at least a year, seven of them in combination with carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, or clonazepam. Four patients suffered from primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures, and 24 suffered from partial seizures. None had febrile convulsions. The causes of ...

BACKGROUND Febrile convulsions, or febrile seizures, are frequently encountered in paediatrics, and despite often being self limiting, these seizures strike fear in the hearts of patients' carers. OBJECTIVE This article reviews the assessment and management of febrile seizures in children. DISCUSSION The initial assessment of a child who convulses with fever should be directed at finding a ...