Abstract
Epilepsy is a disorder of brain function characterized by the episodic recurrence of paroxysmal neurological or behavioral manifestations caused by abnormal synchronous and excessive discharges of large groups of neurons. The ancient Greek word epilepsia literally means “seizure” and the disease itself was probably recognized prior to the development of the earliest civilizations.
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Further reading
Delgado-Escueta AV, Ferendelli JA, Prince DA, eds (1984): Basic mechanisms of the epilepsies. Ann Neurol 16 (suppl)
Jasper HH, Ward AA, Pope A, eds (1969): Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies. Boston: Little, Brown
Jasper HH, van Gelder N, eds (1983): Basic Mechanisms of Neuronal Hyperexcitability. New York: Allan R Liss
Magnus O, Lorentz de Haas AM, eds (1974): The Epilepsies: Handbook of Clinical Neurology vol 15, Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing
Penfield W, Jasper H (1954): Epilepsy and the Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain. Boston: Little, Brown
Schwartzkroin PA, Wheal H, eds (1984): Electrophysiology of Epilepsy. New York: Academic Press
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© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Avoli, M., Gloor, P. (1989). Epilepsy. In: Abnormal States of Brain and Mind. Readings from the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience . Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6768-8_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6768-8_21
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA
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