A search for novel genes for juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures usually unprovoked by any immediately identifiable cause. One of the first descriptions of epileptic seizures can be traced back to 2,000 B.C. in ancient Akkadian texts, a language widely used in the region of Mesopotamia. The author described a patient with symptoms resembling epilepsy: his neck turns left, his hands and feet are tense and his eyes wide open, and from his mouth froth is flowing without having any consciousness. There are many reports which show that epilepsy was known in the ancient times but was not understood until mid-1950s. Modern advances in the understanding of epilepsy came during the 18th and 19th century. During this period, John Hughlings Jackson studied epilepsy in detail and published his first paper on epilepsy in 1861. He is considered the father of modern epileptology (Novel aspects on epilepsy, 2011).