Pathophysiological Mechanisms Underlying the Etiologies of Seizures and Epilepsy

ABSTRACT

Epilepsies are a complex and heterogeneous group of disorders mainly characterized by the presence of recurrent, spontaneous, and unpredictable seizures. Epilepsy affects 1–2% of the global population and its incidence varies according to age, gender, race, type of epilepsy syndrome and socioeconomic conditions. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) proposed a new classification framework in 2017 which included six etiologic categories of seizures and epilepsies. This chapter focuses on the proposed etiologies of epilepsy and some of the basic pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie them. Some aspects of current epilepsy treatments, and future directions related to therapeutics are discussed.