New classification efforts in epilepsy: Opportunities for clinical neurosciences

Classification is truly a scientific endeavor. In recent years, the use of the term in clinical epilepsy has diverged from the purpose of the intellectual process of classification in the sciences. As genetics and molecular biology come into their own, scientific classification may finally come to epilepsy and begin to shed light on the many aspects of brain disorders that are characterized by seizures but which are truly multifaceted disorders and deserve more comprehensive, multidisciplinary approaches than they have received previously. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “The new approach to classification: Rethinking cognition and behavior in epilepsy”.