Epilepsy research has entered an exciting phase as advances in molecular analysis have supplemented in vitro and in vivo electrophysiologic and phenotypic characterization. Recent Advances in Epilepsy Research sets forth a series of chapter reviews by researchers involved in these advances. This volume is a composite profile of some exciting recent investigations in select areas of enquiry.
Key features: neurogenetics of seizure disorders, new developments in cellular and molecular neurobiology of seizure disorders, the role of growth factors in seizures, new advances in the roles of metabotropic glutamate receptors and GABA receptors and transporters, gap junctions, neuroimmunology of epilepsy, malformations of cortical development, neurogenesis, new animal models of epilepsy and the use of brain stimulation to treat epilepsy. This book should be of interest to a wide variety of audiences, including graduate students in neurobiology and related disciplines, neuroscientists, medical students, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and industry including pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies. There are many ideas in this book that will lead ingenious innovators in academia and industry to develop new and better therapies.

Epilepsy research has entered an exciting phase as advances in molecular analysis have supplemented in vitro and in vivo electrophysiologic and phenotypic characterization. Recent Advances in Epilepsy Research sets forth a series of chapter reviews by researchers involved in these advances. This volume is a composite profile of some exciting recent investigations in select areas of enquiry.
Key features: neurogenetics of seizure disorders, new developments in cellular and molecular neurobiology of seizure disorders, the role of growth factors in seizures, new advances in the roles of metabotropic glutamate receptors and GABA receptors and transporters, gap junctions, neuroimmunology of epilepsy, malformations of cortical development, neurogenesis, new animal models of epilepsy and the use of brain stimulation to treat epilepsy. This book should be of interest to a wide variety of audiences, including graduate students in neurobiology and related disciplines, neuroscientists, medical students, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and industry including pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies. There are many ideas in this book that will lead ingenious innovators in academia and industry to develop new and better therapies.

Epilepsy is a devastating group of neurological disorders characterized by periodic and unpredictable seizure activity in the brain. There is a critical need for new drugs and approaches given than at least one-third of all epilepsy patients are not made free of seizures by existing medications and become "medically refractory". Much of epilepsy research has focused on neuronal therapeutic targets, but current antiepileptic drugs often cause severe cognitive, developmental, and behavioral side effects. Recent findings indicate a critical contribution of astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells in the brain, to neuronal and network excitability and seizure activity. Furthermore, many important cellular and molecular changes occur in astrocytes in epileptic tissue in both humans and animal models of epilepsy. The goal of Astrocytes and Epilepsy is to comprehensively review exciting findings linking changes in astrocytes to functional changes responsible for epilepsy for the first time in book format. These insights into astrocyte contribution to seizure susceptibility indicate that astrocytes may represent an important new therapeutic target in the control of epilepsy. Astrocytes and Epilepsy includes background explanatory text on astrocyte morphology and physiology, epilepsy models and syndromes, and evidence from both human tissue studies and animal models linking functional changes in astrocytes to epilepsy. Beautifully labelled diagrams are presented and relevant figures from the literature are reproduced to elucidate key findings and concepts in this rapidly emerging field. Astrocytes and Epilepsy is written for neuroscientists, epilepsy researchers, astrocyte investigators as well as neurologists and other specialists caring for patients with epilepsy.

A single-volume resource for detailed coverage of the anatomy, function, and pathology of the cranial nerves with CT and MRI correlation

"Unique...provid es] clear, concise descriptions...the first of its kind to offer a detailed look at the imaging findings of each cranial nerve in both normal and pathological states.--Journal of Neurosurgery"

"This book reaches its objective. It must be part of the library of the neurological surgery student as a useful tool for understanding basic anatomy and physiology, as well as the most common pathologies and the basic neuroradiology of the cranial nerves. We strongly recommend it.-- World Neurosurgery"

"This book is of interest to everyone who aims a solid understanding of the cranial nerves. --Central European Neurosurgery"

This beautifully illustrated book combines a detailed exposition of the anatomy and function of the cranial nerves with practical coverage of clinical concepts for the assessment and differential diagnosis of cranial nerve dysfunction. An introductory chapter provides a brief overview of cranial nerve anatomy and function, skull base anatomy, classification of pathologies, and imaging approaches. Each of the twelve chapters that follow is devoted to in-depth coverage of a different cranial nerve. These chapters open with detailed discussion of the various functions of each nerve and normal anatomy. The authors then describe common lesions and present a series of cases that are complemented by CT images and MRIs to illustrate disease entities that result in cranial nerve dysfunction.

Features

• Concise descriptions in a bulleted outline format enable rapid reading and review
• Tables synthesize key information related to anatomy, function, pathology, and imaging
• More than 300 high-quality illustrations and state-of-the-art CT and MR images demonstrate important anatomic concepts and pathologic findings
• Pearls emphasize clinical information and key imaging findings for diagnosis and treatment
• Appendices include detailed information on brainstem anatomy, pupil and eye movement control, parasympathetic ganglia, and cranial nerve reflexes

This book is an indispensable reference for practicing physicians and trainees in neurosurgery, neurology, neuroradiology, radiology, and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. It will also serve as a valuable resource for students seeking to gain a solid understanding of the anatomy, function, and pathology of the cranial nerves.

The discovery that a variety of growth factors modulate excitability in the adult brain, and that the expression of growth factors and their receptors are often modulated by seizure activity, has opened an exciting new chapter in epilepsy research. Recent findings shed new light on these and other ways growth factor neurobiology impacts epilepsy research, including the role of growth factors in seizure-induced neurogenesis, kindling, and morphological changes that contribute to the epileptic phenotype. In addition to neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and the p75 and trk receptors for neurotrophins, recent studies also implicate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in seizure-induced structural and functional changes. The current volume highlights seminal contributions to this field by renowned scientists in both the growth factor and epilepsy research fields.