Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, and original observations in the field are often the key to diagnosis and successful treatment. Physicians new to the field as well as seasoned practitioners will benefit from more than one hundred case vignettes that explore the universe of epilepsy as it presents in daily practice. Some of these cases challenge long-held views about epilepsy and others bring the reader to the limits of our understanding of epilepsy, both in clinical and basic science. To improve the interface of clinical and basic science in epilepsy, basic scientists comment on the potential mechanisms underlying clinical observations, and clinicians assess the potential impact of recent results of experiments in the laboratory. Puzzling Cases of Epilepsy highlights the importance that original observations have in inspiring both new treatments and continued research. - Presents unique and challenging case vignettes in epilepsy contributed by eminent physicians in the field - Provides practicing physicians with examples of how baffling cases were handled and solved - A new section provides a translational perspective, with basic scientists discussing the potential mechanisms underlying original clinical observations, and clinical scientists discussing the clinical implications of experiments in the epilepsy laboratory

A leading neurologist recounts some of her most astonishing and challenging cases, demonstrating how the study of epilepsy is critical to our understanding of the brain. A “brilliant . . . beautifully humane account” for readers of Oliver Sacks’ The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Guardian, Best Books of the Year) Brainstorm follows the stories of people whose medical diagnoses are so strange even their doctor struggles to solve them: a man who sees cartoon characters running across the room; a girl whose world suddenly seems completely distorted, as though she were Alice in Wonderland; another who transforms into a ragdoll whenever she even thinks about moving. The brain is the most complex structure in the universe. Neurologists must puzzle out life-changing diagnoses from the tiniest of clues, the ultimate medical detective work. In this riveting book, Suzanne O’Sullivan takes you with her as she tracks the clues of her patients’ symptoms. It’s a journey that will open your eyes to the unfathomable intricacies of our brains and the infinite variety of human experience.

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, this brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted book explores the clash between a medical center in California and a Laotian refugee family over their care of a child.

Covers all aspects of epilepsy, from basic mechanisms to diagnosis and management, as well as legal and social considerations.

This book comprises succinct, accessible clinical cases in neuropsychiatry. Each clinical case has a specific and practical learning point, concerned with assessment, diagnosis, treatment or general approach. Each case models clinical reasoning and shows how the 'puzzle' in the case changed the future practice of the author. Neuropsychiatry Case Studies is divided into sections relating to specific areas of neuropsychiatry, including dementias, movement disorders, autoimmune encephalopathies and epilepsy, amongst others. This book is aimed at trainee doctors in neurology and psychiatry and will also be of interest to fully trained doctors, nurses, psychologists and other allied health professionals working in this area.​

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CHLOË GRACE MORETZ A “captivating” (The New York Times Book Review), award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is a powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her identity. When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled as violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened? In an “unforgettable” (Elle), “stunningly brave” (NPR), and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that almost didn’t happen. “A fascinating look at the disease that…could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life” (People), Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance.

Explores neurological disorders and their effects upon the minds and lives of those affected with an entertaining voice.

Schizophrenia may not be a single disease, but the result of a diverse set of related conditions. Modern neuroscience is beginning to reveal some of the genetic and environmental underpinnings of schizophrenia; however, an approach less well travelled is to examine the medical disorders that produce symptoms resembling schizophrenia. This book is the first major attempt to bring together the diseases that produce what has been termed 'secondary schizophrenia'. International experts from diverse backgrounds ask the questions: does this medical disorder, or drug, or condition cause psychosis? If yes, does it resemble schizophrenia? What mechanisms form the basis of this relationship? What implications does this understanding have for aetiology and treatment? The answers are a feast for clinicians and researchers of psychosis and schizophrenia. They mark the next step in trying to meet the most important challenge to modern neuroscience – understanding and conquering this most mysterious of human diseases.

Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the brain, and these patients often suffer from memory problems. There are a number of reasons for this: seizures can directly affect the brain in ways that disturb memory; epilepsy often results from trouble in brain regions closely linked to memory; the treatment of epilepsy can affect memory; epilepsy can cause psychological problems, like depression, which interfere with memory. The study of epilepsy and the and the study of human memory are interwoven. Epilepsy and Memory comprehensively reviews all aspects of the relationship between this common and potentially serious neurological disorder and memory, one of the core functions of the human mind. The authors, acknowledged experts in their fields, review the history of the subject, the clinical features of memory disorder in epilepsy, neuropsychological, neuroradiological, neuropathological and electrophysiological findings, the roles of anticonvulsant side effects and psychiatric disorder, and the scope for memory support and rehabilitation. The study of patients with epilepsy has revealed much about the workings of memory, yet there has been no recent review of this fertile field of research. This book fills this gap and is a valuable new addition to the brain sciences literature. It will be of wide interest to clinicians and basic researchers in the brain sciences.

After developing epilepsy as an adult, Robert Dodge experienced increasingly dangerous seizures and was seen by specialists on five continents. His firsthand account of adapting to life with epilepsy begins with an overview of this often misunderstood neurological disorder--still attributed to demonic possession in some parts of the world--and recounts his struggle as his seizures became life-threatening. Dodge describes his treatments and their side effects, including four ineffective surgeries that removed an eighth of his brain, and the personal challenges of social stigma.