Capire l'epilessia (corso online gratuito con certificato)

For millennia, people have suffered through untreated neurological disorders like schizophrenia and epilepsy as the lack of medical information led their peers to believe that they were possessed by demons or evil spirits. Sadly, those suffering from such conditions were often shunned and mistreated and this continues in many communities today. Of the roughly 50 million people who suffer from epilepsy worldwide, more than 75% do not receive any treatment for their seizures, even in developed countries like the United States. This free online course takes you through the early warning signs of epilepsy and explains its symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment.

We begin with a brief history of epilepsy and the last century’s efforts to understand it. We go through the discovery of anti-epileptic drugs and the development of the electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that measures the brain’s electrical activity utilizing electrodes attached to the scalp. The course then defines ‘epilepsy’ and examines its symptoms before moving on to its classification. The International League against Epilepsy divides the disorder into three broad categories: focal, generalized and ‘unknown’ (when there is insufficient data for a solid diagnosis). We track their causes and differences to establish why such categorization is important. We then investigate how an epileptic seizure occurs in the brain and track the electrical signals caused by the seizure as they travel through the brain’s cortical circuits.

Comprendere il comportamento dell'attività sinaptica anomala che si verifica nel cervello prima, durante e dopo una crisi è importante per illustrare come un EEG viene utilizzato per diagnosticare e classificare le crisi epilettiche. Questo corso illustra la sperimentazione EEG, inclusi dettagli pratici come il posizionamento degli elettrodi e i protocolli di test. Ti mostriamo come confrontare le letture EEG per distinguere tra le onde cerebrali di un cervello "normale" e quelle create dalla sua controparte epilettica. Analizziamo termini medici come "epilettogenesi", "aura epilettica" e "marcia jacksoniana". Il corso approfondisce quindi gli sforzi contemporanei per ampliare l'accesso agli strumenti diagnostici per l'epilessia per coloro che ne hanno più bisogno ed esplora l'attuale ricerca medica che tenta di scoprire nuovi farmaci antiepilettici. Questo corso è adatto agli studenti di medicina o a chiunque abbia una persona cara che soffre di epilessia. Iscriviti per prendere parte allo sforzo mondiale per diffondere la consapevolezza di questo disturbo neurologico curabile.

• Module 1: Using EEG Data to Classify Epilepsy
• Module 2: Course Assessment

What You Will Learn In This Free Course

• Define ‘epilepsy’
• Classify epileptic seizures
• Discuss the symptoms and causes of epilepsy
• Explain how to diagnose epilepsy with an EEG
• Describe the international EEG electrode placement method
• Compare ‘normal’ EEG readings to their epileptic counterparts

Knowledge & Skills You Will Learn

• Health Management
• Neuroscience
• Medicine
• Disability
• Epilepsy