• The sequence is coherent (vascular -> epilepsy -> pathways -> psych -> movement disorders -> spinal cord)
• Epilepsy on April 11 fits perfectly as a bridge between neuroanatomy, physiology, pathology, and clinical decision-making
• Your instinct to include a USMLE-style decision tree + one deep surgical dive is exactly right for engagement and exam relevance

Epilepsy Session (2 hours max, med-student level)

0) Intro + Objectives (10 min)

• Why epilepsy matters (prevalence, morbidity, stigma, emergencies)
• Learning goals:
  1. Define epilepsy vs seizure
  2. Understand anatomical/physiological basis
  3. Distinguish major epilepsy types
  4. Build treatment logic (USMLE style)
  5. Know when surgery is indicated
  6. Understand mechanisms of key drugs

1) What Epilepsy Is (10 min)

• Definition: enduring predisposition to unprovoked seizures
• Seizure vs epilepsy
• Provoked vs unprovoked seizures
• High-yield causes by age group

2) Neuroanatomical + Physiological Background (20 min)

• Normal excitation/inhibition balance
  • Glutamate vs GABA
  • Ion channels and membrane excitability
• Network-level synchronization
• Focal cortical onset vs generalized network involvement
• Key structures:
  • Temporal lobe/hippocampus
  • Thalamocortical circuits
  • Frontal lobe patterns

3) Pathology vs Normal Brain Function (15 min)

• Epileptogenic focus concept
• Common pathological substrates:
  • Mesial temporal sclerosis
  • Cortical dysplasia
  • Tumor/scar/post-traumatic lesions
• Why some lesions are drug-resistant

4) Types of Epilepsy + Clinical Backgrounds (20 min)

• Focal aware, focal impaired awareness, focal to bilateral tonic-clonic
• Generalized (absence, myoclonic, tonic-clonic, atonic)
• Syndromic framing (brief):
  • JME
  • Childhood absence
  • Temporal lobe epilepsy
• Clinical clues from history + semiology

5) USMLE-Style Decision Tree: “What do I do next?” (20 min)

• First seizure workflow:
  • Stabilize (ABCs, glucose, acute management)
  • Differentiate provoked vs unprovoked
  • MRI + EEG + selected labs
• Initial therapy selection by seizure type
• When to refer urgently
• Red flags for status epilepticus
• Drug-resistant epilepsy definition (failure of 2 appropriate ASMs)

6) Treatment Deep Dive: Pharmacology + Surgery (20 min)

• Drug classes and mechanisms:
  • Na+ channel modulators
  • Ca2+ channel effects
  • GABA potentiation
  • SV2A modulation
  • Glutamate antagonism
• “Match drug to seizure type” pearls + common pitfalls
• Surgical options overview:
  • Temporal lobectomy
  • Lesionectomy
  • Corpus callosotomy
  • VNS / RNS / DBS

7) One “Cool” Surgical Focus (10 min)

• Indication: refractory drop attacks/generalized spread interruption
• Concept: disconnect hemispheric propagation pathway
• Expected outcomes + limitations
• Risks and post-op considerations

8) Fun End Game (15 min)

1. “Seizure Room Escape”
   Teams solve 5 clinical puzzles to “unlock” diagnosis and management.
2. “EEG Detective”
   Quick pattern cards + clinical vignettes; teams decide seizure type + next step.
3. “Pharm Battle: Save the Patient”
   Rapid rounds where each team picks a drug and defends mechanism + indication.

• professional headings
• minute-by-minute timeline
• teaching script bullets under each section
• a printable USMLE decision tree section
• game templates (3 options) at the end