Introduction The Burden of Epilepsy Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of the world’s population, with between 30% and 40% of these patients suffering from drug-resistant disease. Epilepsy surgery historically has been one of the best options for such refractory disease, and…
Introduction Epilepsy is a chronic seizure condition, classically characterized as “a continuing tendency to seizure relapse” ( ). It was estimated to affect 50 million people worldwide in 2012. As a chronic condition, epilepsy confers significant mortality, including suicide and…
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) delivered via the implantable Neurocybernetic Prosthesis (NCP) from LivaNova PLC (London, United Kingdon) is an established treatment option for patients with intractable epilepsy. It has also emerged as a novel adjunct in the management of patients…
Introduction The first description of an epileptic seizure was written in Akkadian, the oldest written language, which dates from about 3000 years ago in Mesopotamia. The seizure was attributed to the god of the moon. Further anecdotal cases of epilepsy…
Review of the Current Knowledge Base of the Topic Direct intracerebral infusion of neurotrophic factors may represent a neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative movement disorders, most notably Parkinson’s disease (PD). A number of neurotrophins, including glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic…
Acknowledgments This work was partly supported by small RIA grants (2014–2015) from University of L’Aquila. Introduction Postural instability is a severe symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and atypical Parkinsonisms that causes falls and postural deformities ( ). The treatment of…
Hemifacial Spasm Introduction Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a unilateral, involuntary, paroxysmal movement of facial muscles innervated by the ipsilateral facial nerve. Its characteristic features include tonic–clonic contractions and synkinesis of the muscles. These symptoms usually start from the orbicularis oculi…
Introduction Diagnosis and Prevalence Tourette syndrome (TS) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder with an unknown etiology characterized by motor and vocal tics. The onset of tics occurs most commonly in early childhood around the age of 5–7 years, and the…
Acknowledgment The senior author wishes to thank Donald Weisz, PhD for his assistance with the production of Fig. 76.3 , for his friendship, and for his passionate commitment to patient care. Introduction Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by sustained…
Historical Perspective Tremor, the involuntary and rhythmic oscillation of a body part, is classified according to its presumed etiology, or alternatively by its phenomenology (description of the affected body area, frequency, and condition in which it manifests). Common tremor conditions…