ABSTRACT
Epilepsy is a common medical problem with 1" of the US population suffering from the illness. Although the mechanisms of epilepsy are not completely understood, it is thought to be due to a population of neurons firing in a synchronized, unregulated fashion that disrupts normal brain function. The anatomy relevant to epilepsy surgery depends on the origin of the epileptic activity. Since the goal of epilepsy surgery is generally to resect the origin of epileptic activity or to modulate the activity of the brain either by disconnection or stimulation, the anatomy relevant to the procedure varies. Since working memory is an integral function of the hippocampus, the patient may undergo specialized memory testing preoperatively to determine how much memory function resides in the hippocampus that is to be resected. Epilepsy surgery may be categorized as diagnostic or therapeutic. In some patients, invasive monitoring is used diagnostically to better localize the seizure focus.
