Neuropediatrics 2006; 37 - PL4_2_1
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-945764

AGE-DEPENDENT EPILEPTIC ENCEPHALOPATHY: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE MODERN EPILEPTOLOGY

S Ohtahara 1
  • 1Department of Child Neurology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan

Epileptic encephalopathy is an important new category firstly adopted in the ILAE Diagnostic Scheme Proposal (2001).

On the other hand, the age-dependent epileptic encephalopathy has now become the widely accepted and prevailing concept in not only epileptology but also child neurology fields since the proposal by Ohtahara in 1976.

After introducing its conceptualization process, developmental studies on the mutual evolution among its three constituents, i.e. Ohtahara, West and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes, is mentioned focusing on the Ohtahara syndrome.

I would like to stress the importance of developmental aspects of epilepsy and the clinical and basic scientific investigations on them.