Abstract
While epilepsies affect approximately 1% of the population, seizures occur in a larger population of subjects. Clear clinical differences exist between seizures and epileptic syndromes. While repetitive seizure activity is a hallmark of epilepsy, seizures may be observed clinically as a result of pathological processes initiated outside the central nervous system (CNS). The latter include systemic diseases associated with inflammation, stroke, anoxia, and hemodynamic changes. The probability of seizure occurrence increases during iatrogenic vascular interventions (e.g., cardiopulmonary bypass or blood–brain barrier opening) due to alteration of cerebral blood flow and increased permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In this article, we present evidence suggesting the role of intravascular pathological events in setting seizure threshold.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 574-584 |
Number of pages | 11 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780123739612 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2009 |
Keywords
- Blood–brain barrier
- Brain homeostasis
- Cerebrovascular dysplasia
- Intravascular inflammation
- Lithium chloride
- Neurovascular unit
- Osmotic opening
- Pilocarpine
- Seizure
- Systemic inflammation
- Vascular permeability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- General Neuroscience