TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Seizure Disorders A1 - Nestler, Eric J. A1 - Hyman, Steven E. A1 - Holtzman, David M. A1 - Malenka, Robert C. PY - 2015 T2 - Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e AB - A seizure is caused by the abnormal synchronous firing of large ensembles of neurons. Epilepsy refers to any neurologic disorder that is characterized by recurrent seizures.Seizures can be classified as focal, which indicates that the initial abnormal firing is limited to a specific area in one hemisphere, or generalized, which indicates that a large population of neurons in both hemispheres is involved.Seizures occur because of a change in the brain’s delicate balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic processes. This change can be caused by any number of different brain insults, including tumors, strokes, and head injury as well as developmental abnormalities.Many forms of epilepsy have a genetic component, although the inheritance of epilepsy is rarely simple.Most anticonvulsants work by modifying the function of sodium or calcium channels or by enhancing GABA-mediated inhibitory synaptic transmission.Other known actions of a smaller number of anticonvulsants include potentiation of potassium channels, inhibition of glutamatergic transmission, and poorly defined actions on a synaptic vesicle-associated protein termed synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A). SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/10/14 UR - neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1105917145 ER -