Epilepsy, Infantile Spasms, and Developmental Encephalopathy

This volume explores the nature and bases of infantile spasms--a major representative of the catastrophic developmental seizure disorders seen in early childhood. While this topic has received considerable attention as a clinical disorder, the underlying pathogenesis of infantile spasms remains poorly understood. Our 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 authors contributing to this volume approach this set of challenging goals via two pathways--first, by looking critically at the experimental literature dealing with basic mechanisms that might contribute to infantile spasm; and second, by offering speculation in the form of experimentally testable hypotheses. 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.Schwartzkroin, Philip A. is the author of 'Epilepsy, Infantile Spasms, and Developmental Encephalopathy' with ISBN 9780123668493 and ISBN 0123668492.