Neuropsychological Evaluation in Epilepsy Surgery – A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects around 50 million people globally (Boer, et al., 2008; Meyer, et al., 2010). It is probably the most universal of all medical disorders, occurring in both men and women, and affecting all ages, races, social classes, and nations (Reynolds, 2000). In its report on epilepsy, the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (2010) of the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 85% of the 50 million cases of epilepsy worldwide are living in the ‘developing countries’, of which an estimated 4.7 million cases live in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region that comprises 22 ‘developing countries’, which extend from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east, and include Saudi Arabia the focus of this chapter.