Epilepsy & Behavior 19 (2010) 662

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Epilepsy & Behavior

j ourna l homepage: www.e lsev ie r.com/ locate /yebeh

Book Review

Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research, Edited by Philip A.Schwartzkroin, Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2009,Hardcover, 3 vols, 1832 pp, $900.00 USD/€660.00 EUR/£450.00GBP, ISBN: 9780123736888

The Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research is an excellent referencebook. Most experts expect that major future progress in epileptology willderive from basic research in genetics and molecular biology. However,the question What's going on in epilepsy research today? is still veryactual. The Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research is a unique collection ofarticles that were solicited specifically to answer this question. It is thestarting point for tomorrow's research achievements.

The editor of this comprehensive encyclopedia, Dr. Philip A.Schwartzkroin, from the University of California, Davis, is an authorityin the field of basic epilepsy science and plays a major role in thenational and international epilepsy community. He is more thancapable of organizing the input of many world-renowned colleagueson a wide range of basic science epilepsy topics.

Although named Encyclopedia, it certainly is not an encyclopedia inthe strict sense. It also does not pretend to be a comprehensivealphabetical summary (A–Z) of epilepsy research, although it containsmore than 200 articles and covers almost the full spectrum of researchactivities in the field of epilepsy, from genes and molecules to animalmodels and human patients, in alphabetical order. In fact, it is easy togenerate phrases that are not listed, but for the most part, the editormakes good choices of commission and omission. The book is, as thetitle suggests, more of an encyclopedia than a dictionary. It appears asa welcome counterpoint to other more clinically oriented epilepsyencyclopedias and therefore fills a void.

The Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research is a well-written referencebook designed for scientists and clinicians with interests in themechanisms of epilepsy. It is a compilation of high-quality chapterswrittenby181authors fromallfive continentswhoarewell known in theepilepsy community. The considerable efforts of the editor and all authorshave led to a well-organized, comprehensive, and informative book.

The encyclopedia comprises 38 main chapters organized intothree volumes and provides up-to-date and detailed reviews of researchtopics in epilepsy. InVolume1, the authors analyze such interesting topicsas absence seizures, cognitive dysfunction and other comorbidities,epileptogenesis, and genetics. The second volume consists of chapterson imaging, inflammation, ion channels, the ketogenic diet, and two veryinteresting chapters on animal models and pediatric epilepsy. In Volume3, the authors discuss plasticity, pharmacoresistance, psychiatric symp-toms, and seizures and sleep among other topics. The separate “ClinicalAppendix” in Volume 3, with nine main chapters, covers selected clinicalaspects of epilepsy including antiepileptic drugs, classification, epidemi-ology, genetics, imaging, neuropathology, neurophysiology, pharmacore-sistance, and surgery. It may provide basic scientists with an overview ofselected clinically relevant topics, and it was certainly not intendedfor clinicians. Young investigatorsmay be able to use this book to discoverpotential areas for their own future research efforts, and experiencedresearchers may find a comprehensive summary of a research area

doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.09.035

unfamiliar to themwithinepilepsy. Anabstract summarizingeachchaptercould havebeenhelpful but has beenomitted. Thebook is notmeant to beread from front to back, but to serve as easy access to an overview of abasic science topic.

The major strengths of this encyclopedia are up-to date topics thatrepresent all major areas of basic epilepsy research. Textbooks arefrequently outdatedby the time theyareprinted. TheEncyclopedia of BasicEpilepsyResearch is also available online and, it is hoped,will be frequentlyupdated and added to, although a limited-edition print version is anotheroption. The online version allows users tofind exactlywhat they need, bybrowsing the work by author or article title, and offers internal cross-referencing and linking to journal articles and abstract databases. Theonline version may effectively decrease the time to find information oncertain topics, and turns the encyclopedia into a potentially portablesource of information. At 5.5 kg (or 12.1 lb), the hardcover print versionexceeds several airlines’ carry-on luggage restrictions.

The encyclopedia is well illustrated with figures, many of them incolor. They are of good quality and add explanatory value. There aremany tables summarizing research findings. However, several con-cepts that could be well summarizedwith a table or figure are not, andthe quantity of illustrations and presentation is variable throughoutthe book, which was unpreventable because of the multiple authorsand different styles. References are well chosen for relevance, but aresparse and are as up to date as editorial deadlines for such a hugecollection permit, usually lagging 2–3 years. They are a starting pointfor reading but do not replace a recent Medline search.

Dr. Schwartzkroin and the authors of this encyclopedia are to becongratulated on making a unique contribution to the field which inour opinion currently offers the most comprehensive basic epilepsyresearch review. In 1832 pages, the Encyclopedia of Basic EpilepsyResearch contains sufficient quality content to satisfy even the mostinsatiable scientists and clinicians. We recommend this book be kepton the shelf (or laptop) of every basic scientist working in epilepsy aswell as clinical epileptologists with an interest in basic science.

Conflict of interest statement

The reviewers have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Tobias LoddenkemperDivision of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology,

Department ofNeurology,HarvardMedical School Children'sHospital Boston,Fegan 9 300 Longwood Ave Boston, MA 02115, USA

Marcin ZarowskiCorresponding author. Polysomnography and Sleep Research Unit,

Department of Developmental Neurology,Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego Str, Poznan

60355, Poland.E-mail address: zarowski@ump.edu.pl (M. Zarowski).

26 September 2010