Epilepsy - beyond bromide
An historical journey into the treatment of epilepsy, starting with potassium bromide 150 years ago
The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells, each linked by myriad connections (synapses). Chemical messenger molecules (neurotransmitters) pass between these cells, stimulating electrical impulses along their projections (axons). Regular waves of electrical activity are produced in our brains at rest, which increases on exercise or during mental activity.
However if the brain is damaged, either physically or genetically, these regular waves can become disordered, resulting in unpredictable, excessive electrical discharges from the nerve cells. At this time the person loses consciousness, often with jerking movements of limbs - this is an epileptic seizure. The condition affects ca one person in 100, a quarter of whom have their first seizure before their fifth birthday.
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