Preface

Abstract

The 38th Congress of the Japan Epilepsy Society was held at Shizuoka Granship (Shizuoka Convention and Arts Center, Shizuoka, Japan) on September 30 and October 1, 2004. The theme of this meeting was “Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment of Epilepsy.” Based on this theme, topics ranging from clinical to basic scientific issues on epilepsy were discussed in an interdisciplinary approach. As one of the latest topics in epilepsy research, although molecular genetic analyses have demonstrated various channel abnormalities including those of sodium, potassium, and GABA channels, further research has revealed a more complicated picture. Including this issue, we organized a symposium to examine the current knowledge on why epilepsy develops in individuals, which is the most basic question for both researchers and clinicians as well as the root for early diagnosis and early treatment. The scientific program included educational lectures, symposia, workshops, together with satellite symposia, morning seminars and lunch seminars. It was an interdisciplinary congress for all levels from newcomers to experts in epileptology, and encompassing broad disciplines from clinical to basic research. The Special Lecture entitled “Various Issues of Infantile Epilepsy” was delivered by Dr. Yukio Fukuyama, who gave a broad and in-depth coverage of the present and future issues of infantile epilepsy, including his own long years of research. The first educational lecture was on “Cortical Dysplasia: Indication and Timing of Pediatric Epilepsy” presented by Dr. H. Holthausen, a pediatric neurologist at the Epilepsy Center in Munich, Germany. He is one of the active young researchers in the world and the lecture was based on his latest research data. The second educational lecture was entitled “Experimental Cortical Dysplasia—A Pathophysiological Study” by Professor Atsuo Fukuda of Department of Physiology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, who lectured on the pathophysiological abnormalities of cortical dysplasia as a cause of epilepsy. The third educational lecture “Viewing Epilepsy from the Genes” was given by Dr. Kazuhiro Yamakawa who presented the latest information on epilepsy as seen from the perspective of the genes. The fourth educational lecture was on “Intracranial Electroencephalography of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy” in which Dr. Tadahiro Mihara, who has long been engaged in surgical treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy at the Shizuoka Institute of Neurological Disorders, presented the intracranial EEG of temporal lobe epilepsy. Symposium 1 was entitled “Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment of Epilepsy.” The symposium was organized by Drs. Yushi Inoue and Youko Ohtsuka, in which four speakers presented, followed by discussion. Symposium 2 “Approaches to Elucidate Epileptogenicity” was organized by Drs. Nobumasa Kato and Kiyoshi Morimoto, and the presentations of four speakers stimulated hot discussions. This symposium may have acted as a catalyst for a renewed consideration of epileptogenicity. In Workshop 1 “Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines for Epilepsy” organized by Drs. Tateki Fujiwara and Sunao Kaneko, four guidelines were proposed. The whole lecture hall became a forum for active discussions. In Workshop 2 “Comprehensive Care for Early Epilepsy” organized by Drs. Hidemoto Kubota and Mana Kurihara, five speakers each delivered a unique presentation and professionals of various health fields other than clinicians also joined in active discussions. Of course, there was also the Neuroscience Section organized by Drs. Sunao Kaneko and Eiichi Maru, which stimulated many energetic discussions. Among more than 180 free communications, 40 were presented as posters and the remaining 140 were presented orally. All the speakers presented their works enthusiastically, and a wide range of issues on epilepsy were discussed. Many members of the Society as well as other medical professionals interested in epilepsy participated in the Congress. We anticipate that the 38th Congress of the Japan Epilepsy Society will bring us one step forward to the epoch-making development of research, diagnosis, and treatment of epilepsy in the 21st century.