Neurological Diseases in Children (Second Edition)

Author: Zuo Qihua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-16
Features: It provides some help in thinking and judgment, and plays a role in consolidating clinical basic skills. Its ultimate goal, as expected by Academician Zhu Fo Tang in the Preface to this edition, is to "promote the development of pediatric neurology in China and the growth of its professional teams." In the past 20 years, life sciences have developed rapidly, especially in neuroscience, genetics, and imaging technology, with pediatric neurology being the greatest beneficiary. Technological advancements have brought us various new diagnostic and preventive methods, and more importantly, they have profoundly changed our understanding of various diseases. The sequencing of the human genome was completed in 2001, and more than half of human genes are preferentially expressed or expressed alone in the brain. Neurological genetic diseases account for more than 60% of all genetic diseases, and most of them onset in childhood. It is not difficult to predict that in the near future, when the protein products of genes are identified and their functions are fully elucidated, there will be novel diagnostic and treatment methods for neurogenetic diseases. In recent years, the discovery of human brain neural stem cells has provided a new approach for repairing damaged brain tissue. Neural stem cells can differentiate and proliferate into various neurons and glial cells, opening up broad prospects for the treatment and repair of various genetic metabolic and degenerative diseases of the pediatric nervous system. Advances in neuroimaging have made it possible to accurately locate pediatric neurological diseases without traumatic examinations, identify subtle abnormalities in brain structure and neuronal migration disorders. More importantly, functional neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, PET, etc.) can directly observe the activity of neurons in different brain regions and their interconnections. Various techniques have begun to be applied to the study of cognitive functions and behavioral disorders, with the aim of understanding the functional characteristics of neural networks during cognitive activities such as attention, thinking, reading, calculation, and learning. The emergence of cognitive neuroscience has closely linked pediatric neurology, psychiatry, and neuropsychology. It can be predicted that pediatric neurology will develop at an unprecedented speed. The content of this book has been supplemented. Epilepsy and convulsive diseases, as well as genetic metabolic diseases and neurodegenerative diseases, remain as key topics. Professor Wang Muti has provided an in-depth description of the relevant content regarding genetic metabolic diseases and degenerative diseases. The book provides a detailed introduction to the mechanisms, genetics, clinical classification, new epilepsy syndromes, new antiepileptic drugs, and comprehensive treatment of epilepsy, and also includes the quality of life issues of children with epilepsy, as children are complete organisms and clinical thinking must be based on the whole child. Based on this concept, the book has also added chapters on neurodevelopmental disorders, cognitive and intellectual disorders, pediatric sleep disorders, and cerebral palsy. Additionally, new chapters on autoimmune diseases of the pediatric nervous system, neuroimmunology concepts, headaches, hereditary peripheral neuropathies, and congenital brain developmental malformations have been added. To meet clinical needs, introductions to new technologies and drugs have been added, and new chapters on neuroelectrophysiological examinations, neuroimaging examinations, and commonly used drugs for neurological diseases have been included. In the existing chapters, the content on cerebellar system diseases of the extrapyramidal system has been significantly revised and systematically elaborated; the content on cerebrovascular diseases has been expanded; and there has been substantial updating of the content on neonatal neurological diseases and central nervous system infections.