On the basic mechanisms of infantile spasms

The neurobiologic basis for infantile spasms has long been debated but with little resolution. The very recent development of several animal models of this disorder should provide a paradigm shift in our understanding of this disorder. This chapter outlines unresolved questions and suggests experimental approaches to answering them. For an expanded treatment of this topic see Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies, Fourth Edition (Noebels JL, Avoli M, Rogawski MA, Olsen RW, Delgado-Escueta AV, eds) published by Oxford University Press (available on the National Library of Medicine Bookshelf [NCBI] at).