Colleen B. Litof

Contributing to the problem is the relative unreliability of EEG tracings recorded from patients during the interictal period. Although these tracings can reveal certain abnormalities that are characteristic of epilepsy, such as spikes, they tend to be relatively nonspecific. Interictal spikes, for instance, occur inconsistently; they are present in some persons who do not have epilepsy and absent in others who do.

Thus, a young woman describes her ex-boyfriend who had Tourette syndrome (TS), the impact of which caused their breakup. TS affects approximately 1 in 100 Americans and is marked by a fluctuating course of multiple motor and phonic tics, which can have devastating social, physical, and psychological consequences for the patient.

Essential tremor significantly compromises patients' professional and personal lives.

When it comes to disease risk, not all of us are created equal. Genetics, culture, diet, education, occupation, income, environment, or a combination of these factors can predispose some persons and ethnic groups to certain illnesses.

Alzheimer disease, antihypertensive therapy, diuretics, potassium-sparing diuretics

autism, mirror neuron defect

Aphasia: It's Never Too Late to Offer Patients Hope