Epilepsy: Models, Mechanisms and Concepts

Cambridge University Press
Edition: New Ed, 2/1/2007
EAN 9780521033503, ISBN10: 0521033500

Paperback, 560 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 3.6 cm
Language: English

Advances in epilepsy research are occurring at a rapid rate, resulting in a bewildering wealth of data. The implications of this knowledge for future research and clinical practice can be confusing. This volume concentrates on the concepts and models of epilepsy which have been developed as a result of this research. Written by prominent researchers in the field, this book presents a number of major concepts and hypotheses through which epilepsy research has been advanced. Chapters focus on the pathways and mechanisms through which seizure activity is initiated and spread, in both normal and abnormal brain tissues, and discuss the special properties of epileptogenesis in the immature brain. In a field in which rapid advances lead to constant update of empirical data, this book takes a conceptual approach to the subject and provides a solid framework within which to understand the emerging issues. It will be relevant to basic neuroscientists, neurologists and neurosurgeons.

List of contributors
General introduction Philip A. Schwartzkroin
Part I. Chronic Models in Intact Animals - Concepts and Questions
Introduction
1. The kindling model of epilepsy James O. McNamara, Douglas W. Bonhaus and Cheolsu Shin
2. Focal trigger zones and pathways of propagation in seizure generation Karen Gale
3. Genetic models of the epilepsies Phillip C. Jobe, Pravin K. Mishra, Nandor Ludvig and John W. Dailey
4. Noradrenergic modulation of excitability
transplantation approaches to epilepsy research Olle Lindvall
5. Sensitivity of the immature central nervous system to epileptogenic stimuli Solomon L. Moshé, Patric K. Stanton and Ellen F. Sperber
Part II. Features of the Epileptogenic Brain
Introduction
6. Neurophysiological studies of alterations in seizure susceptibility during brain development John. W. Swann, Karen L. Smith, Robert J. Brady and Martha G. Pierson
7. Electrophysiology and pharmacology of human neocortex and hippocampus in vitro Massimo Avoli
8. Cell death, plasticity and epilepsy
insights provided by experimental models of hippocampal sclerosis JoAnn E. Franck
9. Sprouting as an underlying cause of hyperexcitability in experimental models and in the human epileptic temporal lobe Thomas P. Sutula
10. Rapidly recurring seizures and status epilepticus
ictal density as a factor in epileptogenesis Eric W. Lothman, Janet L. Stringer and Edward H. Bertram
Part III. 'Normal' Brain Mechanisms That Support Epileptiform Activities
Introduction
11. Brain slice models for the study of seizures and interictal spikes Wilkie A. Wilson and Andrew Bragdon
12. Generation of epileptiform discharge by local circuits of neocortex Barry W. Connors and Yael Amitai
13. Study of GABAergic inhibition and GABAA receptors in experimental epilepsy Robert K. S. Wong and Richard Miles
14. High potassium-induced synchronous bursts and electrographic seizures Christopher J. McBain, Stephen F. Traynelis and Raymond Dingledine
15. Anti-epileptic effects of organic calcium channel blockers in animal experiments Erwin-Josef Speckmann and Jörg Walden
Recent advances
Index.

"...covers a broad spectrum of important issues and concepts and should stimulate discussion among clinical epidemiologists and basic scientists interested in the pathophysiology of epilepsy...a lucid, well thought out review of many of the major issues in epilepsy research and much of the progress that has been made over the past few decades. I highly recommend this volume." J.H. Schneiderman, The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences

"...well written and edited...would provide a more advanced reader an excellent overview of where research on basic mechanisms of the epilepsies now stands, and where it is heading." Robert S. Fisher, Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology

"...this is a book oriented to neuroscientists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons interested in epilepsy, that can clarify many concepts. These concepts are useful tools to understand antiepileptic drug mechanisms, the different age-related sensitivity of the brain to different insults, and the physiological mechanisms of normal brain that support an epileptic activity." Xabier Beristain, Neurological Research

"This book is an excellent reference for recent work in epilepsy research, in both thought-provoking and technical ways. It is highly recommended for scientists and clinicians interested in epilepsy." Cynthia L. Harden, Quarterly Review of Biology