S8 • E5 Mar 1, 2007 26m
For thousands of years, seizures have been blamed on everything from evil spirits to mental illness. Now groundbreaking technology is revealing the true nature of epilepsy, a brain disorder that affects more than one percent of the population. Today doctors can often pinpoint the source of seizures within a patient's brain, using sophisticated imaging and brain wave tests. This helps determine the best treatment strategy, with options ranging from medication to a type of pacemaker for the brain. In some patients, brain surgery can even offer a cure.
