Editor's Message

Once again, with great pleasure and zeal, we bring you the 2024 issue of the International Journal of Epilepsy (IJEP), which is a combined issue for the year 2024. With this, we mark an important milestone in catching up with the pending issues of the journal and marching forward on the path of continued scientific pursuits of IJEP.

In our recently introduced “In the Spotlight” section, Dr. Sulena throws light on the concept of “Epilepsy Smart Schools” and her journey with training school teachers to address the challenges faced by children with epilepsy. Inclusive schools can serve as models for broader societal acceptance of epilepsy, and the article inspires to promote interventions in this direction.

In the first original article, Naresh Maitan et al talk about their work on new-onset seizure in the elderly and propose its classification, etiology, risk factors, and caregiver burden. New-onset seizures in the elderly have a significant impact on the quality of life of the patient and caregiver burden, thus requiring a comprehensive and integrated management approach involving community organizations.

Parisa Ahghari et al from Iran discuss the protective effect of the Lavandula officinalis plant extract on pentylenetetrazol-induced epilepsy in mice by increasing the expression of the eNOS gene, suppressing the expression of the iNOS and nNOS genes, and reducing the levels of caspase-3 in their basic science research. Such work opens avenues for further therapeutic research in epilepsy.

Our authors Abdulrahman M. Alshahrani et al from Saudi Arabia assess the knowledge gaps of undergraduate health students on basic subjects of epilepsy, such as etiologies, symptoms, and treatment options. Their findings suggest comprehensive epilepsy education in all health-related courses could improve patient care. This important work further extends the concept of epilepsy smart schools and highlights the need for awareness and inclusivity. Our next original paper from Nepal by Poonam Pant et al describes the prescribing pattern and medication adherence in patients with epilepsy in a tertiary neuro-center in Kathmandu. Evaluation of adherence needs to be a regular component of managing epilepsy and such data are important to frame appropriate management guidelines. Consideration of injuries in children with epilepsy is important to plan their long-term care and their prevention is an important aspect in improving the quality of life. In their research on children with epilepsy, Raj Mehta et al from India underline the high prevalence of injuries among children with epilepsy aged between 4 and 16 years and propose predictive factors for these injuries. Such data are important in counseling the parents, formulation of care guidelines, and prevention of fatal injuries.

Further, we present an interesting “EEG of the month” on epilepsy with myoclonic absences and an equally interesting “neuroimage of the month” on neonatal rotavirus leukoencephalopathy. Finally, we ask our readers to benefit from the Multiple-Choice Questions on epilepsy and the event calendar compiled for your reference.

We thank our reviewers, technical staff, and collaborators for their untiring efforts and dedication to the journal. We invite you to share your work in the upcoming sections on teaching EEGs, neuroimage of the month (related to epilepsy), brief viewpoints on contemporary issues for people with epilepsy, and multiple-choice questions. We hope our readers find this issue interesting and pertinent to their practice and research!

We will see you soon in the new year with renewed vigor and scientific content!

Publication History

Article published online:
03 November 2024