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Occipital seizures and epilepsy in children. Colloquium of the Pierfranco e Luisa Mariani Foundation
Electroencephalography and clinical Neurophysiology , 90 (1994) 249-251
249
© 1994 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. 0013-4694/94/$07.00
Book Reviews edited by E. Niedermeyer and P.M. Rossini Occipital seizures and epilepsy in children. Colloquium of the Pierfranco e Luisa Mariani Foundation. - F. Andermann, A. Beaumanoir, L. Mira, J. Roger and C.A. Tassinari (Eds.) (John Libbey, London, 1993, 256 p., Price US $80.00) This book provides an overview of the childhood seizure disorders arising from the occipital lobe. Chapters dealing with anatomy, physiology, ontogeny and neurobiochemistry (GABAergic systems) are presented before clinical problems enter the scene. This portion comprises several forms of occipital lobe epilepsies in neonates, infants and children, practically all of them being competently and very thoroughly discussed. The domain of epileptic syndromes is entered with the topic of benign occipital epilepsy of childhood (Vigevano and Ricci; Panayiotopoulos). This latter author distinguishes two forms of benign occipital lobe epilepsy: one with early (age 2 - 8 years) and one with late onset. The outcome of this type of epilepsy is the topic of a special chapter (Guerrini et al.) Occipital lobe epilepsies in connection with mitochondrial diseases (MELAS, also M E R R F ) are presented by F. A n d e r m a n n who points out that "migraine with aura, MELAS, M E R R F , the other progressive myoclonus epilepsies and photosensitive epilepsy share a predisposition for involvement of the occipital structures." Migraine plays a fairly sizable role in this book; an " E E G contribution to the study of migraine" by A n n e Beaumanoir has to be singled out. Of course, one would wish to see a discussion of the full spectrum of migraine with the inclusion of adulthood. A fascinating chapter is entitled "coeliac disease, epilepsy and cerebral calcifications" - a multicentric investigation by Bouquet and others. The results suggest " . . . that the association of coeliac disease, posterior cerebral calcifications and epilepsy is not a mere coincidence." A certain relationship to Sturge-Weber disease is under investigation but, thus far, uncertain. Both medical and surgical m a n a g e m e n t of the occipital lobe epilepsies are the topics in the last chapters prior to a summarizing discussion of occipital ictal semiology (J. Roger), an interesting general discussion (12 pages) and a very short synopsis of A. Beaumanoir. This book is the first of the Mariani Foundation Pediatric Series. With its excellent bibliographies, it will be warmly welcomed by epileptologists, electroencephalographers and also by investigators of the migraine problem. Editing is quite satisfactory. The paper quality is very good and the price quite attractive: with the use of a relatively small print, this thin volume contains an astounding amount of useful information. E. Niedermeyer
Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, Baltimore, MD (USA)
Generalized non-convulsive epilepsy: focus on GABA-B receptors. Journal of Neuronal Transmission, Suppl. 35. - C. Marescaux, M. Vergnes and R. Bernasconi (Eds.) (Springer, Vienna, 198 p.) The most extensively studied mode of absence seizures is the penicillin-induced spike-and-wave discharge (SWD) in cats described by Gloor's group in Montreal. T h e purpose of this book is to approach the pathophysiology of the absence seizures by using various models of generalized non-convulsive epilepsy in rodents
and, in particular, genetic models which may be close to the typical absence epilepsy of childhood. A main topic discussed in the present book is the role of G A B A - B receptors in the modulation of generalized non-convulsive epilepsy. The papers included in this book cover a wide field of the experimental electrophysiology of epilepsy. After a clinical introduction dealing with absence epilepsy in humans, different experimental models are described. Several topics of the experimental models of non-convulsive epilepsy are discussed: cellular neurophysiology, analysis of the thalamo-cortical loop, cortical responses to N M D A stimulation, and description of the inhibitory control of the substantia nigra in the epileptic phenomena. The book also reports on mapping of the cerebral energy metabolism in rats with genetic generalized non-convulsive epilepsy. Finally, the role of G A B A - B receptor antagonists as potential new anti-absence drugs is analyzed by using behavioral and biochemical methods. This book provides an interesting view on experimental models of non-convulsive epilepsy and gives some information about the possible use of G A B A - B receptor antagonists as antiepileptic drugs. For neurobiologists and clinicians interested in the understanding of the basic mechanisms of epilepsy. Paolo Calabresi
Clinica Neurologica, Dip. Sanith, Unicersith di Roma Tor Vergata, Via O. Raimondo 8, 00173 Rome (ltaly)
Surgical treatment of the epilepsies, 2nd edition. - J. Engel, Jr. (Ed.) (Raven Press, New York, 1993, 816 p., Price US $135.00) T r e a t m e n t of epilepsy is not necessarily synonymous with treatment of the patient with seizures. Many of the chapters in this m a g n u m opus of 786 pages make it clear that quality of life is a basii: criterion for evaluating surgery. Those neurosurgeons, however, who may primarily seek technical information will also find this book invaluable. All readers, whatever their personal bias, are encouraged to read the wise chapter 2 by David Taylor, entitled "'Epilepsy as a Chronic Sickness: Remediating its Impact." This sets the scene for evaluating surgery for a condition causing complex psycho-social distress. The field has greatly expanded since the first edition in 1986, with an increased n u m b e r of operations performed world-wide and more thorough pre- and particularly post-surgical evaluation. Reporting the 1992 conference, where 118 epilepsy surgery centers participated, these 59 chapters are mostly multi-authored by workers combining in the USA, Canada, Europe, Russia, S. America, Australia, Japan and S. Korea. Jerome Engel reported that from 1986 to 1990 (with a total of 8234 surgical procedures), there were 59% with anterior temporal lobectomy, 13% extratemporal resection, 10% corpus callosotomy, 7% amygdalo-hippocampectomy, 5% hemispherectomy and there were " n o data" for 5% (or 6%?). In the 70 surgical centers in the USA, there were 1500 surgical interventions in 1991. In one of the interesting chapters, 11 authors from 8 different centers discuss alternative surgical treatments, reviewing cerebellar stimulation for seizure control, thalamic stimulation, vagal stimula-
249
© 1994 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. 0013-4694/94/$07.00
Book Reviews edited by E. Niedermeyer and P.M. Rossini Occipital seizures and epilepsy in children. Colloquium of the Pierfranco e Luisa Mariani Foundation. - F. Andermann, A. Beaumanoir, L. Mira, J. Roger and C.A. Tassinari (Eds.) (John Libbey, London, 1993, 256 p., Price US $80.00) This book provides an overview of the childhood seizure disorders arising from the occipital lobe. Chapters dealing with anatomy, physiology, ontogeny and neurobiochemistry (GABAergic systems) are presented before clinical problems enter the scene. This portion comprises several forms of occipital lobe epilepsies in neonates, infants and children, practically all of them being competently and very thoroughly discussed. The domain of epileptic syndromes is entered with the topic of benign occipital epilepsy of childhood (Vigevano and Ricci; Panayiotopoulos). This latter author distinguishes two forms of benign occipital lobe epilepsy: one with early (age 2 - 8 years) and one with late onset. The outcome of this type of epilepsy is the topic of a special chapter (Guerrini et al.) Occipital lobe epilepsies in connection with mitochondrial diseases (MELAS, also M E R R F ) are presented by F. A n d e r m a n n who points out that "migraine with aura, MELAS, M E R R F , the other progressive myoclonus epilepsies and photosensitive epilepsy share a predisposition for involvement of the occipital structures." Migraine plays a fairly sizable role in this book; an " E E G contribution to the study of migraine" by A n n e Beaumanoir has to be singled out. Of course, one would wish to see a discussion of the full spectrum of migraine with the inclusion of adulthood. A fascinating chapter is entitled "coeliac disease, epilepsy and cerebral calcifications" - a multicentric investigation by Bouquet and others. The results suggest " . . . that the association of coeliac disease, posterior cerebral calcifications and epilepsy is not a mere coincidence." A certain relationship to Sturge-Weber disease is under investigation but, thus far, uncertain. Both medical and surgical m a n a g e m e n t of the occipital lobe epilepsies are the topics in the last chapters prior to a summarizing discussion of occipital ictal semiology (J. Roger), an interesting general discussion (12 pages) and a very short synopsis of A. Beaumanoir. This book is the first of the Mariani Foundation Pediatric Series. With its excellent bibliographies, it will be warmly welcomed by epileptologists, electroencephalographers and also by investigators of the migraine problem. Editing is quite satisfactory. The paper quality is very good and the price quite attractive: with the use of a relatively small print, this thin volume contains an astounding amount of useful information. E. Niedermeyer
Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, Baltimore, MD (USA)
Generalized non-convulsive epilepsy: focus on GABA-B receptors. Journal of Neuronal Transmission, Suppl. 35. - C. Marescaux, M. Vergnes and R. Bernasconi (Eds.) (Springer, Vienna, 198 p.) The most extensively studied mode of absence seizures is the penicillin-induced spike-and-wave discharge (SWD) in cats described by Gloor's group in Montreal. T h e purpose of this book is to approach the pathophysiology of the absence seizures by using various models of generalized non-convulsive epilepsy in rodents
and, in particular, genetic models which may be close to the typical absence epilepsy of childhood. A main topic discussed in the present book is the role of G A B A - B receptors in the modulation of generalized non-convulsive epilepsy. The papers included in this book cover a wide field of the experimental electrophysiology of epilepsy. After a clinical introduction dealing with absence epilepsy in humans, different experimental models are described. Several topics of the experimental models of non-convulsive epilepsy are discussed: cellular neurophysiology, analysis of the thalamo-cortical loop, cortical responses to N M D A stimulation, and description of the inhibitory control of the substantia nigra in the epileptic phenomena. The book also reports on mapping of the cerebral energy metabolism in rats with genetic generalized non-convulsive epilepsy. Finally, the role of G A B A - B receptor antagonists as potential new anti-absence drugs is analyzed by using behavioral and biochemical methods. This book provides an interesting view on experimental models of non-convulsive epilepsy and gives some information about the possible use of G A B A - B receptor antagonists as antiepileptic drugs. For neurobiologists and clinicians interested in the understanding of the basic mechanisms of epilepsy. Paolo Calabresi
Clinica Neurologica, Dip. Sanith, Unicersith di Roma Tor Vergata, Via O. Raimondo 8, 00173 Rome (ltaly)
Surgical treatment of the epilepsies, 2nd edition. - J. Engel, Jr. (Ed.) (Raven Press, New York, 1993, 816 p., Price US $135.00) T r e a t m e n t of epilepsy is not necessarily synonymous with treatment of the patient with seizures. Many of the chapters in this m a g n u m opus of 786 pages make it clear that quality of life is a basii: criterion for evaluating surgery. Those neurosurgeons, however, who may primarily seek technical information will also find this book invaluable. All readers, whatever their personal bias, are encouraged to read the wise chapter 2 by David Taylor, entitled "'Epilepsy as a Chronic Sickness: Remediating its Impact." This sets the scene for evaluating surgery for a condition causing complex psycho-social distress. The field has greatly expanded since the first edition in 1986, with an increased n u m b e r of operations performed world-wide and more thorough pre- and particularly post-surgical evaluation. Reporting the 1992 conference, where 118 epilepsy surgery centers participated, these 59 chapters are mostly multi-authored by workers combining in the USA, Canada, Europe, Russia, S. America, Australia, Japan and S. Korea. Jerome Engel reported that from 1986 to 1990 (with a total of 8234 surgical procedures), there were 59% with anterior temporal lobectomy, 13% extratemporal resection, 10% corpus callosotomy, 7% amygdalo-hippocampectomy, 5% hemispherectomy and there were " n o data" for 5% (or 6%?). In the 70 surgical centers in the USA, there were 1500 surgical interventions in 1991. In one of the interesting chapters, 11 authors from 8 different centers discuss alternative surgical treatments, reviewing cerebellar stimulation for seizure control, thalamic stimulation, vagal stimula-