ABSTRACT
Etiologically, pre and perinatal factors are involved in the majority of children with epilepsy. Those with onset in adolescence or later life may have causative fac tors in early stage of life, but it is often difficult to confirm pre and perinatal events precisely. Until recendy, causes of perinatal brain damage are considered more im portant than prenatal factors. However, technological advances in neuroimaging and molecular genetics have attracted the attention of prenatal causes. Even in those with brain damages supposedly caused by neonatal asphyxia, not a few may be vul nerable to perinatal distress because of prenatal cerebral dysgenesis.
