This was an exciting project to work on, and I attempted to obtain a broad sampling of current research on the neuropsychology of epilepsy. Because the emphasis of the book takes a neuropsychological perspective on epilepsy, the coverage is not redundant with previous texts on this topic. The book is organized around three themes, although individual chapters certainly often extend beyond the part in which they are located. The three major topics are the nature of epilepsy, cognitive and emotional consequences of epilepsy, and treatment approaches to epilepsy and outcome. In Part I, following a historical overview of epilepsy in Chapter 1 by Sandra D. Haynes and me, Gerald C. McIntosh presents a conceptualization of the epilepsies from a neurologist's perspective. The characteristics of seizure types are discussed, and the etiology of secondary epilepsies is described. Epileptic syndromes are considered. McIntosh outlines clinical seizure patterns associated with seizures originating from different cortical regions.

Clinical neurology has still not managed to clear a way in the daily practice with patients with all types of epilepsy despite significant advances in cognitive neuroscience and a large number of clinical studies on epilepsy and cognition. How is it that there are only rarely major advances in the field of clinical neuropsychology? It has long been time for this question to be asked, and for an attempt to be made to bring about changes.This was the aim of the Progress in Epileptic Disorders workshop held in Toronto and the result of this book. Contents : Section I - Neuropsychological assessment: state of the field at present • Section II - Use of neuropsychology to understand the impact of epilepsy and seizures on cognition and the natural history of neurobehavioral problems Section III - Use of neuropsychology to understand pharmacological treatments • Section IV - Use of neuropsychology to understand surgical treatments • Section V - Mood and cognitive impairment in epilepsy • Section VI - Assessing cognition in epilepsy via electrophysiological and functional imaging techniques

Once feared and misunderstood even among the medical community, epilepsy has since largely been demystified. Besides the characteristic seizures, various cognitive, behavioral, and emotional difficulties are recognized as associated with the condition, and patients are finding relief in medical management and/or surgical intervention. Not surprisingly, neuropsychology has emerged as a major component in treatment planning, program development, and assessment of surgical candidates. Geared toward beginning as well as veteran clinicians, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Epilepsy offers readers a skills-based framework for assessment and treatment, using current evidence and standardized terminology. Expert coverage reviews widely-used methods for evaluating key aspects of patient functioning (MRI, MEG, electrocortical mapping, the Wada test), and presents guidelines for psychotherapeutic and cognitive remediation strategies in treating comorbid psychiatric conditions. Given the diversity of the patient population, additional chapters spotlight issues specific to subgroups including high- and low-functioning as well as geriatric and pediatric patients. This integrative hands-on approach benefits a range of practitioners across medical and neurological settings. Topics featured in the Handbook: Neuropsychological assessment across the lifespan. Evaluating the epilepsy surgical candidate: methods and procedures. The Wada test: current perspectives and applications. Assessing psychiatric and personality disorders in the epilepsy patient. Evaluation and management of psychogenic non-epileptic attacks. Neuropsychological assessment with culturally diverse patients. Practical and flexible in its coverage, the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Epilepsy serves not only neuropsychologists and neurologists but also primary care physicians such as internists, family physicians, and pediatricians.

This volume is the first comprehensive, clinically oriented guide devoted exclusively to the evaluation and management of psychiatric problems in patients with epilepsy. The authors critically analyze recent findings on the complex relationship between seizures and psychiatric disorders and offer practical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment. Case studies and summary tables are used throughout the text. Topics covered include the association of depression with epilepsy, the psychotropic properties of anticonvulsant drugs, the relation between seizure frequency and psychiatric symptoms, the effects of epilepsy surgery on psychopathology, and the psychiatric aspects of pediatric epilepsy. The book also addresses psychosocial and quality-of-life issues in epilepsy.

This book provides essential information about the variety of seizure disorders and serves 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-and 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 concludes with a glossary of epilepsy terms.

Having appeared in the 1930s in Montreal, standardised neuropsychological evaluation has become an essential tool in the clinical diagnosis and evaluation of surgical epileptic patients. Nevertheless, despite great progress over the last 20 to 30 years in the diagnosis and medical treatment of epilepsy, clinical neuropsychology still remains largely associated with surgical epilepsy, particularly surgery of the temporal lobe. Clinical neurology has still not managed to clear a way in the daily practice with patients with all types of epilepsy despite significant advances in cognitive neuroscience and a large number of clinical studies on epilepsy and cognition. How is it that there are only rarely major advances in the field of clinical neuropsychology? It has long been time for this question to be asked, and for an attempt to be made to bring about changes. This was the aim of the Toronto workshop and the result of this book. Every approach was debated, providing important elements to reflect on and allowing a great forum for exchanges. This book includes the communications from the main participants and comments from some others on specific subjects.

While a great number of textbooks have been devoted to various medical aspects of childhood epilepsy, none have been as comprehensive and forthright as Neuropsychology of Childhood Epilepsy. Devoted to the neuropsychological description of childhood epilepsy, the editors have uncovered this neurological condition as never before. Divided into three sections, section one may be highly regarded as a necessary introduction to the neuropsychological basis of childhood epilepsy, electro-clinical patterns of various types of epilepsy and brain maturation while section two delves into the characterization of the neuropsychological profile that accompanies focal epilepsies leading to the behavioral and cognitive impairments linked to the transient events that often go unnoticed. Part three covers the medical, surgical and socio-educational management of childhood epilepsy. bsenteeism, learning difficulties, and cognitive dysfunctions may have an impact on a child's self-esteem and upon his or her quality of life. The final part of the volume therefore presents an accurate account of the vast psychological consequences of this disease. This volume is a must read for experimental and cognitive neuropsychologists, medical specialists involved in the care of children with epilepsy and professionals and caretakers dealing with the different aspects of childhood epilepsy alike.