Pathophysiology and Definitions of Seizures and Status Epilepticus

Seizures represent the effects of abnormal electrical discharges of cortical neurons. Every individual has the capacity to have a seizure. The question that begs for an answer is how does a seizure first arise? Taking this to the cellular level, what mechanism or mechanisms cause a group of neurons to manifest this abnormal physiologic response? The traditional model is that large groups of hyperexcitable neurons become coordinated in their actions and recruit adjacent neurons in a synchronized flurry of discharges. Many different mechanisms are thought to be involved in this process, from a simple genetic predisposition to seizures to specific pathophysiologic mechanisms at the extracellular, cellular, and subcellular levels.