Priority of epilepsy research in Asia

Epilepsy is the most common serious disorder of the brain, characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. It is estimated that there are similar to 50 million people with epilepsy worldwide, the majority of which today are living in the developing countries. Many countries in the Asian Oceanian regions have large populations and limited resources. Most such countries do have a vast health- care network with few centres of excellence that are comparable to the best in the world. The peculiar socio- cultural milieu of this region provides a large population with epilepsy that can be used as a unique tool to conduct research into the basic processes, clinical aspects and psychosocial consequences of epilepsy. The Asian Oceanian region offers tremendous opportunities for research despite its limited resources. The clinicians and scientists need to be aware of the basic realities of the region and take full advantage of the situation to work for the benefit of humanity.