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Joined 2026-09-21 Message
Epilepsy Created 2026-10-31 Updated 2026-11-05
Epilepsy is a brain disorder involving an enduring predisposition to epileptic seizures. The condition includes different seizure types and causes; a single seizure provoked by a temporary disturbance does not automatically establish it.
The distinction between an individual event and a continuing predisposition is important in both diagnosis and research. Counting events, classifying their mechanism and investigating the underlying cause answer different questions.[ref]
A practical clinical definition of epilepsy by Robert S. Fisher and others. Summary and conceptual definition
Robert S. Fisher 2026-11-05
The work of neurologist Robert S. Fisher includes the operational definition and classification of epilepsy. He led the international task force responsible for the 2014 practical clinical definition. [ref]
A practical clinical definition of epilepsy by Robert S. Fisher and others. 2014, ILAE official report, byline and Summary
The contribution distinguishes an enduring predisposition to seizures from a count of isolated observed events. The report set out circumstances in which recurrence risk or a recognized epilepsy syndrome can support a diagnosis after fewer than two unprovoked seizures. Defining such criteria makes clinical classification reproducible while exposing its assumptions; the diagnostic category is not itself a complete explanation of the underlying neural mechanism.