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Neuropathologic Studies of 'Epileptogenic' Tissue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2014

Harry V. Vinters
Harry V. Vinters*
Affiliation:
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Section of Neuropathology, Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
*
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Section of Neuropathology, Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, 650 Charles Young Drive South, CHS room 18-170, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1732, USA. Email: hvinters@mednet.ucla.edu
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Abstract

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This mini-review will summarize some of the major contributions of Neuropathology to understanding the structural basis of several forms of intractable epilepsy. Because of space limitations, only selected morphologically defined brain abnormalities will be considered and illustrated. By definition, the types of specimen encountered by Neuropathologists are those resected to treat intractable seizure disorders. One can therefore infer that the 'lesions' encountered in some way caused or at least contributed to the epilepsy, though the leap from observed neuropathologic abnormalities to 'seizuregenesis' is not always straightforward—indeed often is very tortuous and obscure. Nevertheless, a Neuropathologist working with a team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, electrophysiologists, neuropsychologists, and others, can contribute to a richer understanding of why seizures are triggered within human brain tissue, and therefore how they may be more effectively treated.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

Cette mini-revue constitue un sommaire de certaines des contributions majeures de la neuropathologie à la compréhension des éléments structuraux de base de plusieurs types d'épilepsies pharmacorésistantes. Nous avons choisi de traiter et d'illustrer certaines anomalies cérébrales définies au point de vue morphologique, étant donné les contraintes d'espace. Par définition, les spécimens qu'examinent les neuropathologistes sont ceux qui ont été prélevés au cours du traitement chirurgical de l'épilepsie pharmacorésistante. On peut donc déduire que les « lésions » observées ont causé en quelque sorte ou ont pour le moins contribué à l'épilepsie, bien que le lien entre les anomalies neuropathologiques observées et la genèse des crises ne soit pas toujours direct mais souvent plutôt confus et obscur. Néanmoins, un neuropathologiste qui travaille avec une équipe de neurologues, de neurochirurgiens, d'électrophysiologistes, de neuropsychologues, ainsi qu'avec d'autres spécialistes, peut contribuer à une meilleure compréhension de la raison pour laquelle les crises sont déclenchées dans le tissu du cerveau humain et donc aux moyens par lesquels elles pourraient être traitées plus efficacement.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 39 , Issue S6 , November 2012 , pp. S20 - S24
Copyright
Copyright © The Canadian Journal of Neurological 2012

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