Jacksonian Epilepsy and the Jacksonian March: R. Edward Hogan, MD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

“[John Hughlings Jackson’s] real contribution was to say these movements mean there must be an organized part of the brain [from which] these movements are generated. Subsequently, what that really gave the basis for is that, now, we have a whole area of the brain that we call the homunculus where it maps out where the primary and sensory motor cortex are.”

At the 2022 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting, held December 2 to 6, in Nashville, Tennessee, the presidential symposium featured a number of talks aimed at offering a present-day look at the understanding of clinical semiology, history, and observation in epilepsy. The first half of the session specifically dove into the historical view of John Hughlings Jackson, MD, FRS, and the basis of understanding that Jacksonian epilepsy has provided to modern clinical care.

R. Edward Hogan, MD, FAES, FAAN, a professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, and the president of the American Epilepsy Society, focused mainly on Hughlings-Jackson’s historical observation of seizures, expressing the foundations that his work laid for the current understanding of brain organization and seizure patterns. Hogan spoke with NeurologyLive^® at the meeting, sharing his perspective on the topic in-depth.

He discussed what can be extrapolated from the Jacksonian march of brain activity and offered his views on how this can inform clinical care. He also spoke about the importance of the awareness of this work, and the benefit it can bring to learning about epilepsy and the diagnostic process.

Click here for more coverage of AES 2022.

REFERENCE
1. Hogan RE. Seizure Semiology: John Hughlings-Jackson and Jacksonian Epilepsy. Presented at: AES Annual Meeting; December 2-6, 2022; Nashville, TN, and virtual.