Epilepsy, Infantile Spasms, and Developmental Encephalopathy

Epilepsy, Infantile Spasms, and Developmental Encephalopathy explores the nature and bases of infantile spasms - a major representative of the catastrophic developmental seizure disorders seen in early childhood. Although this topic has received considerable attention as a clinical disorder, the underlying pathogenesis of infantile spasms remains poorly understood. The aim is not simply to describe and label the clinical phenomenology associated with infantile spasms, but rather to work toward an understanding of the underlying mechanisms and of effective treatment strategies. The result is a volume with a high density of exciting ideas that can be taken to the bedside or to the laboratory for further study.

Approaching the subject from an interdisciplinary perspective, this book integrates clinical and basic science in its discussion of infantile spasms as representative of a common developmental brain disorder. It also provides experimentally testable hypotheses to direct further research, and presents reviews of the literature associated with suggested underlying mechanisms.