Science Reference

Epilepsy

Epilepsy (sometimes referred to as a seizure disorder) is a common chronic neurological condition that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures.

These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms due to abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain.

It affects approximately 50 million people worldwide.

Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, with medication - although surgery may be considered in difficult cases.

Not all epilepsy syndromes are lifelong, for example some are confined to particular stages of childhood.

Epilepsy is usually treated with medication prescribed by a physician; primary caregivers, neurologists, and neurosurgeons all frequently care for people with epilepsy.

In some cases the implantation of a stimulator of the vagus nerve, or a special diet can be helpful.

Neurosurgical operations for epilepsy can be palliative, reducing the frequency or severity of seizures; or, in some patients, an operation can be curative..

For more information about the topic Epilepsy, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Note: This page refers to an article that is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the article Epilepsy at Wikipedia.org. See the Wikipedia copyright page for more details.

Search ScienceDaily

Number of stories in archives: 44,032

Find with keyword(s):
 
Enter a keyword or phrase to search ScienceDaily's archives for related news topics,
the latest news stories, reference articles, science videos, images, and books.
 

Science Video News


Pinpointing Problems In The Brain

Doctors are now using a new kind of brain scan called magnetoencephalography (MEG), which measures brain activity in real time. In some cases, MEG. ...  > full story

Breaking News

... from NewsDaily.com

In Other News ...

Copyright Reuters 2008. See Restrictions.

Free Subscriptions

... from ScienceDaily

Get the latest science news with our free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

Feedback

... we want to hear from you!

Tell us what you think of the new ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?
Post this page to your favorite social bookmarking site:
close
Include this item in your blog or web site:
close
Email this page's link to a friend or colleague:
close