Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the most common and disabling neurological disorders, but the therapeutic basis for many epilepsy is not understood due to an incomplete understanding of the detailed pathophysiology. This article provides an overview of the clinical aspects of seizures and epilepsy, with the aim of introducing neuroscientists to aspects amenable to scientific investigation. Seizures and epilepsies are defined, diagnostic methods are reviewed, different clinical syndromes are discussed, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic aspects are considered, and neuroscientists can formulate basic and translational research questions increase.