The intracarotid amobarbital (or Amytal) procedure is commonly referred to as the Wada test in tribute to Juhn Wada, the physician who devised the technique and performed the fIrst basic animal research and clinical studies with this method. Wada testing has become an integral part of the pre operative evaluation for epilepsy surgery. Interestingly, however, Wada initially developed this method as a technique to assess language dominance in psychiatric patients in order that electroconvulsant therapy could be applied unilaterally to the non-dominant hemisphere. Epilepsy surgery has matured as a viable treatment for intractable seizures and is no longer confmed to a few major universities and medical institutes. Yet, as is increasingly clear by examining the surveys of approaches used by epilepsy surgery centers (e.g., Rausch, 1987; Snyder, Novelly, & Harris, 1990), there is not only great heterogeneity in the methods used during Wada testing to assess language and memory functions, but there also seems to be a lack of consensus regarding the theoretical assumptions, and perhaps, even the goals of this procedure.

This book provides essential information about the variety of seizure disorders to serve as a basic epilepsy reference guide for students and practicing clinical neuropsychologists. In addition to epilepsy neuropsychological assessment issues, the book provides an overview of the known cognitive effects of seizures as well as the adaptive, emotional, and psychiatric consequences of epilepsy including a chapter on psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. Diagnostic tests, such as EEG and structural neuroimaging, are described and the leading treatment options are detailed with a chapter on pharmacologic therapies which reviews the known cognitive and behaivoral side effects of specific antiepileptic drugs. Many of the more rare epilepsy disorders have been included in the appendices for quick and easy reference. The book also details the role of neuropsychology within the epilepsy surgery process including pre/post surgery cognitive evaluations, cortical stimulation mapping, functional neuroimaging, and intracarotid amobarbital (Wada) procedures and reviews the major surgical treatment options used in the intractable epilepsies. Case examples are dispersed throughout the text with neuropsychological results as heuristic aids. The book ends with a glossary of epilepsy terms that may be used as a dictionary for the more experienced clinician or as a tool to assist students and residents in learning.

All Shall Go to Wrack First Book of The Laughing Lip Humanity barely holds back the spidery zhizhu, voracious competitors for rare Earth-like worlds. Imperial Fleet ships have disappeared from the Reserve Anchorage near Proxima Centauri. Piracy is increasing along Yi Tan's Reach. Human "Manifest Destiny" fanatics are preparing biological genocide of Tau Ceti IV's non-human bipeds while sympathizers in Fleet itself prepare for open rebellion. With these crises converging, Cuchulain "Murphy" O'Meath of the Emperor's Jin Jun has been set loose to disobey orders, forge Imperial Writs, and just possibly find a way to get matters under better control. Along the way, he illegally detains Lt. Urwah Grunon, Fleet Marine, and Lt. Commander B. P. Avinashini, Fleet's most skilled Gandiva pilot. O'Meath takes them to Tau Ceti IV to find Fahnisht, O'Meath's non-human friend and Clanlord. The puzzle begins to come together as the zhizhu lurk and genocide begins... Look for "Demand the Debt That's Owing," the second book of The Laughing Lip in mid-spring.

Demand the Debt That's Owing The religiously pro-human Manifest Destiny Movement's genocide of the Tau Ceti's intelligent species has all but succeeded. Now Manifest Destiny seeks to launch its biological weapons against the spidery zhizhu, voracious and uncommunicative competitors for the rare Earth-like worlds in local space. The Humanitas Church, a prime gateway to Manifest Destiny, has converted an unknown number of Imperial Fleet crews. Vessels stolen from Fleet's reserve anchorage are already crewed by deserters, retirees, and others. Cuchulain "Murphy" O'Meath of the Emperor's Jin Jun has limited time to interfere with Manifest Destiny. Fahnisht, his non-human friend and Clanlord, intends to collect the blood debt owed for his species' near-destruction. They will do what they must to interfere with genocide, even of the zhizhu. Fleet fighter pilot B. P. Avinashini and marine Urwah Grunon, Fleet Marine, have both seen the ugly death the zhizhu bring to human "cattle." Impressed by O'Meath as crew of Granuaile, they can help - or they can give Manifest Destiny its chance to end the zhizhu's own threat to consume humanity.

Her grandparents were heroes to three intelligent species. Her parents are celebrated scholars. Bangaluru Agnivesh Kirthi is teetering on the edge. Seventy-three years ago Cuchulain "Murphy" O'Meath of the Emperor's Jin Jun and Fleet fighter pilot B. P. Avinashini, Fleet helped prevent the genocide of the zhizhu, and began the long process of rebuilding the genocide-decimated Horns of Tau Ceti. Fifty-three years ago, they located the last vestiges of the Manifest Destiny movement and ended its two decades of multi-species terrorism. B. A. Kirthi, their granddaughter, tries to eke out a living in the obsolete, salvaged Rani Lakshmi Bai. Her dishonorable discharge from Fleet and the death she caused haunt her. Fleet Admiral Idanha keeps her from finding a future. Her grandmother, rigid and distant, is no help, and a friend of the zhizhu to boot. The unraveling threads lead Kirthi to the unstable flare star Zhu Rong, where she must reconcile past, present and future.