Epilepsy pathophysiology

Cortical function is modulated by many other neurotransmitters. However, their role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and in the action of antiepileptic drugs is not yet well known. 

A great number of quinoxalines fused with other heteroaromatics have been reported, especially of interest for their potential use in fighting various pathophysiological conditions like epilepsy, Parkinson s, and Alzheimer s diseases. These compounds as well as fused pyrazines are important for pharmaceutical agents, but they are excluded here since they are beyond the scope of this chapter. 

Baethmann A. (1990). Pathophysiology of acute brain damage following epilepsy. ActaNeurochir. Suppl. (Wien.) 50 14-18. 

Ferro JM, Pinto F (2004). Poststroke epilepsy epidemiology pathophysiology and management. Drugs and Aging 21 639-653... 

Engelborghs S, D Hooge R, De Deyn PP. Pathophysiology of epilepsy. Acta Neurol Belgica 2000 100 201-13. 

I The use of anticonvulsants in bipolar disorder has led to speculation about the possibility of a common pathophysiology between epilepsy and severe psychotic disorder. Processes that appear to be similar to kindling phenomena occur in the natural history of bipolar and unipolar affective disorders. Most anticonvulsant dmgs with mood-stabilising properties also inhibit the electrically induced kindling of seizure activity in animals. 

The use of acetylenic compounds as suicide inhibitors can be illustrated in the case of 7-acetylenic GABA. y-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter amino acid, modulates various physiological and pathophysiological processes in the central nervous system. Therefore, elevation of brain GABA levels may be beneficial in the treatment of convulsive disease (epilepsy)... 

Contributions of volumetric MRI and functional neuroimaging techniques are discussed below. These modahties have helped elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms of epilepsy, showing more widespread seizure-induced metabolic changes than previously appreciated. 

Epilepsy is a term applied to a group of chronic brain disorders characterized by epileptic seizures. Epilepsy may arise from a variety of different neurological conditions and via many different pathophysiological mechanisms. Some patients have seizures that are often easy to treat, for instance, as a part of an age dependent syndrome while in others the seizures may be therapy resistant associated with neurologic disabilities. There are about 50 million individuals with epilepsy in the world and so epilepsy is an important health issue. 

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