Epilepsy Books

Written by renowned authorities in the field, Deep Brain Stimulation in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders discusses todayâs most current and cutting-edge applications of DBS. Initially used to treat Parkinsonâs disease and essential tremor, DBS now has new clinical indications, new anatomic targets, and new technologies that enable an expanded role for DBS in the treatment of other movement disorders such as dystonia, and for other neurologic disorders such as epilepsy, Tourette syndrome and cluster headache. Early experience has also been reported for psychiatric syndromes, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. This important book begins with reviews of the functional anatomy and physiology of motor and nonmotor aspects of the basal ganglia and their connections which underlie the application of DBS to neurological and psychiatric disorders. This is followed by proposed mechanisms of action of DBS based on functional neuroimaging and neurophysiologic studies in animals and man. Discussions of patient selection, preoperative assessment, operative complications and brain targeting are followed by chapters concerning the demands of microelectrode mapping as well as new and emerging brain imaging approaches for target localization inside the operating room. Postoperative management and outcomes are reviewed in a series of chapters concerning immediate and delayed complications. Particularly important chapters on programming, DBS safety with regard to MRI and other electronic devices, neuropsychological sequelae, and quality of life are also included. Finally, new areas of DBS application are addressed by experts with experience in Tourette syndrome, epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and cluster headache. Comprehensive and state-of-the-art, Deep Brain Stimulation in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders provides a balanced and level-headed approach to the use of DBS with emphasis on proper and objective assessment of outcomes, particularly in regard to the new and emerging applications -- all with the main goal of providing patients with some measure of relief from their difficult conditions.

As children, Tam and her older brother were swimming when she suffered her first epileptic seizure. He pulled her from the water and was crowned a hero. Tam was labeled “disabled” and never swam again. And so began 30 years of vigilance, never allowing her body to betray her, never allowing her brother or her family or anyone else to influence her path. Now, in middle age, a lifetime’s worth of control has taken its toll. Exhausted, she heads to Maine where, while working on a genealogy project, she falls under the spell of two dead women: an ancestor, Mary Catherine, who died at 33; the other, the town ghost. Through their cloistered, tragic lives Tam relives her own life over and over — until a distant cousin forces her to see herself in a new light. Tam’s quest to transcend self-imposed limitations is superbly crafted and richly satisfying.

The volume provides a unique review of the essential topographical anatomy of the brain from an MRI perspective, correlating high-quality anatomical plates with the corresponding high-resolution MRI images. The book includes a historical review of brain mapping and an analysis of the essential reference planes used for the study of the human brain. Subsequent chapters provide a detailed review of the sulcal and the gyral anatomy of the human cortex, guiding the reader through an interpretation of the individual brain atlas provided by high-resolution MRI. The relationship between brain structure and function is approached in a topographical fashion with analysis of the necessary imaging methodology and displayed anatomy. The central, perisylvian, mesial temporal and occipital areas receive special attention. Imaging of the core brain structures is included. An extensive coronal atlas concludes the book.

Epilepsy and the Ketogenic Diet: Clinical Implementation & the Scientific Basis (Nutrition and Health) A benchmark synthesis of the current state of the science and clinical practice of the ketogenic diet. On the basic science side, the authors review what is known about the basic biochemical mechanisms of action of the KD at the molecular level, spelling out in detail its complex interactions with nutrient components, neurodevelopment, brain biochemistry, and physiology. They also examine the effects of the KD on the metabolism of fats, amino acids, and carbohydrates in the central nervous system at both the macro and cellular levels. On the clinical side, physicians, dietitians, and nurses provide a full range of information concerning the treatment of seizures with KD, including a detailed assessment of the indications for, and the contraindications and/or complications that arise from, its use, detailed equations that permit the caregiver to calculate the actual amounts of different types of foods that can be included in daily diet plans, and documented information on the carbohydrate and calorie content of hundreds of commonly used drugs.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) permits noninvasive imaging of the "human brain at work" under physiological conditions. This is the first textbook on clinical fMRI. It is devoted to preoperative fMRI in patients with brain tumors and epilepsies, which are the most well-established clinical applications. By localizing and lateralizing specific brain functions, as well as epileptogenic zones, fMRI facilitates the selection of a safe treatment and the planning and performance of function-preserving neurosurgery. State of the art fMRI procedures are presented, with detailed consideration of the physiological and methodological background, imaging and data processing, normal and pathological findings, diagnostic possibilities and limitations, and other related techniques. All chapters are written by recognized experts in their fields, and the book is designed to be of value to beginners, trained clinicians and experts alike.

Imitators of Epilepsy, Second Edition Many patients referred for an epilepsy evaluation actually suffer from one of many conditions that can imitate it. Imitators of epilepsy are a diverse group that involve consideration of many areas of internal medicine, neurology, and psychiatry. The most important imitators of epileptic seizures are dizziness, vertigo, syncope, complicated migraine; and somewhat less frequently sleep disorders, transient cerebral ischemia, paroxysmal movement disorders, endocrine or metabolic dysfunction, delirium, psychiatric conditions or transient global amnesia. Clearly under-recognized are hyperventilation episodes, panic attacks, and other psychogenic and psychiatric paroxysmal disorders that may simulate epileptic seizures. This volume provides a comprehensive review of the differential diagnosis of seizures: how do the imitators of epilepsy present clinically, what are their particular distinguishing historical features, and what tests are helpful with diagnosis?

Expanding beyond the first edition, this second edition is divided into four sections. The first deals with an introduction and approach diagnosing spells, the electroencephalography of epilepsy and its imitators, and specialized tests of diagnosis such as measurement of serum prolactin. There are chapters on epileptic seizures that do not look like typical epileptic seizures, and conversely, apparent epileptic seizures that are not. A second section approaches imitators of epileptic seizures along age-based lines; i.e., what sorts of spells are likely to beset infants, children, or the elderly? A third section addresses individual imitators of epilepsy, ranging from the common to the rare, from dizziness and faintness to startle disease, arranged according to whether they might simulate partial, generalized, or both types of epileptic seizures. The volume finishes off with hyperventilation syndrome, psychogenic seizures (with or without epilepsy), and panic disorders.

Most chapters review the basic definitions and physiology of the respective imitator, followed by the clinical characteristics. Emphasis is given to those features that may differentiate it from an epileptic event, but also mark it for what it is, and give possible criteria for an alternate diagnosis. Case vignettes are used to illustrate particular aspects, along with tables that compare and contrast phenotypically similar conditions. Based on their extensive clinical experience, the authors provide a personal perspective on diagnosis and treatment.

"The book is rich in substance and detail. There is a warm, compassionate tone. At the same time, there are no-nonsense facts and figures." -- Humane Medicine, reviewing a previous edition or volume

The Neuropsychiatry of Epilepsy Michael Trimble and Bettina Schmitz have assembled an international team of experts to review the most recent findings and explore the interface between epilepsy and behavior disorders. The authors discuss the classifications available and examine how adequate they are for defining the subtleties of behavioral changes in patients with neurological disorders. Coverage is broad-ranging, from related cognitive problems, biological underpinnings, and pseudoseizures, to clinical aspects and treatment issues. This timely book covers the practical implications of ongoing research, and offers both a diagnostic and management perspective.Michael Trimble and Bettina Schmitz have assembled a multi-national team of experts to review the most recent findings and explore the interface between epilepsy and behaviour disorders. They begin by looking at the classifications available and examine how adequate they are for defining the subtleties of behavioural changes in patients with neurological disorders. Coverage is broad-ranging, from related cognitive problems, the biological underpinnings and pseudoseizures, to clinical aspects and treatment issues. There has been a great deal of research in this area over recent years, but limited published reviews. This timely book covers the practical implications of ongoing research, and offers both a diagnostic and management perspective. It will be essential reading for all professionals engaged in the treatment of epileptic patients.

Epilepsy on Our Terms: Stories by Children with Seizures and Their Parents (The Brainstorms Series) This enlightening book presents the firsthand personal accounts of children with seizure disorders and their parents. In their own words, these children and parents vividly describe the experiences of handling the crisis of the initial seizure, adjusting to the diagnosis of epilepsy, coping
with seizures, managing medications and side effects, and dealing with health care providers, teachers, schoolmates, siblings, and friends. Reveals the terror, uncertainty, and frustration felt by children and parents after an initial seizure or a diagnosis of epilepsy. Documents the ongoing trials,
tribulations and triumphs of coping with seizures, medication schedules and side effects, health care providers and hospitals, schoolmates, siblings, relatives and friends. These accounts provide realistic insights into the myriad issues encountered in living with childhood epilepsy. The book also
includes a straightforward medical discussion of childhood seizures, written in layperson's terms by Dr. Pellock; a glossary of medical terms; and a guide for schoolteachers and parents written by William Murphy, the Executive Director of the Epilepsy Association of Massachusetts. Appendices provide
a directory of Epilepsy Foundation of America affiliates; a list of recommended books, publications, and videotapes; and information about the Epilepsy Foundation of America's Winning Kids program.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a universally used flavor enhancer, permeates our processed, packaged and frozen foods. For those sensitive to this substance, it is indeed a poison.

The dose of MSG throughout our foods is increasing. It can even be found in cans of tuna, and injected into turkeys. It is served to us in the finest restaurants and to our children in school.

Older people are particularly susceptible. Many elderly people suffer from depressions and balance difficulties caused by MSG. There are links, as well, to Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

In the original "In Bad Taste" Dr. George R. Schwartz industry uses to hide it in your food, and the devastating effects MSG can have on your health.

Since the release of the original ground-breaking book, media from all over the globe, including The 700 Club and 60 Minutes, have covered this story. But what they haven't always told you is that medical research has continued to make stunning findings about what the ingestion of MSG can do to the human body.

New research has forged even stronger links between MSG and MSG-containing substances and the dramatic rise in cases of asthma, ADHD, migraine, Parkinson's Disease, heartbeat irregularities, and a host of other serious illnesses.

Once again, Dr. Schwartz has stepped to the forefront of this controversy. He has completely revised his previous work, adding more than 50% new material, incorporating new findings and case studies to create "In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex."

Recommended Books on Epilepsy