title: Julius Caesar's Epilepsy: Was It Caused by A Brain Arteriovenous Malformation?
abstract: Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most charismatic political figures in history. Best remembered for his military achievements, he was also a writer, historian, and statesman. Through his constitutional reforms, he played an important role in the events that led to the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. Historical sources reveal that Julius Caesar suffered from headaches, seizures, and personality changes. In this essay, we highlight the life of Julius Caesar, with emphasis on the potential origin of his sickness. Although a definitive diagnosis obviously cannot be made, as new published studies showed a possible cerebrovascular etiology, a new hypothetical diagnosis is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Montemurro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Arnau
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benet
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Center for Cerebrovascular Research, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. Electronic address: Michael.Lawton@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lawton
mesh_terms: D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology; D005197:Famous Persons; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Arteriovenous malformation; Epilepsy; Famous neurologic disease; History; Julius Caesar