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Pathophysiology of Status Epilepticus: Experimental Data

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Atlas of Epilepsies

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Introduction and Definitions

Some 150 years ago, Armand Trousseau from Paris recognized that during “status epilepticus, something happens [in the brain] that requires an explanation” (Trousseau 1868). In spite of recent progress, treatment success is still limited, since more than 30% of patients develop refractory status epilepticus (SE) that is often associated with severe neuronal and clinical sequelae. There is a long-lasting debate on how long seizure activity should last to define SE (Chen and Wasterlain 2006). While in epidemiological studies, the definition of SE is commonly based on a minimal seizure duration of 30 min (Wasterlain and Chen 2006), in clinical practice, anticonvulsant treatment should be initiated in both generalized convulsive and non-convulsive forms of SE 5 min after onset of seizure activity (Chen and Wasterlain 2006; Meierkord and Holtkamp 2007). However, in some conditions, even shorter periods of seizure activity can result in neuronal damage. To better...

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Abbreviations

AED:

Antiepileptic drug

AMPA:

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid

BBB:

Blood brain barrier

GABA:

γ-Amino-butyric acid

NMDA:

N-methyl-d-aspartate

ROS:

Radical oxygen species

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SE:

Status epilepticus

SSSE:

Self-sustaining status epilepticus

TGF-βR:

Transforming growth factor β receptor

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neurophysiology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Tucholskystr. 2, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Uwe Heinemann

  2. Department of Neurology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Schumannstrasse 20/21, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Martin Holtkamp

Authors
  1. Uwe Heinemann
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  2. Martin Holtkamp
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsies, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK

    C. P. Panayiotopoulos PhD, FRCP (MD) (MD)

  2. Department of Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK

    C. P. Panayiotopoulos PhD, FRCP (MD) (MD)

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Heinemann, U., Holtkamp, M. (2010). Pathophysiology of Status Epilepticus: Experimental Data. In: Panayiotopoulos, C.P. (eds) Atlas of Epilepsies. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-128-6_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-128-6_36

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84882-127-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-84882-128-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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