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What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition affecting people of all ages. Today there is estimated to be about 350,000 people with epilepsy. The condition occurs in all ages, races and social classes. Most cases develop during infancy or by late adolescence. Yet today the degree of epilepsy is not fully understood. Researchers say the fallowing are leading causes of the condition; damage to blood vessels, inherited, trauma, tumors, degeneration, infections, and unknown reasons. Seizures are caused when two or more cells in the brain miss communicate. There are two ways this could happen. One is excitatory and the other is inhibitory. Excitatory messages enhance the cells activity whereas inhibitory messages dampen it. When the inhibitory pathways are removed the cells become over excitable and fire incorrectly. As the nerves of the brain are connected in complex patterns this can lead to a number of cells exhibiting inappropriate behavior.
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