This study was carried out at the Departments of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, at the University of Oulu during the years 1996-2003.
I wish to express my gratitute to Professor Vilho V. Myllylä for his excellent guidance and sympathetic support during my study. I am also very grateful to Professor Matti Hillbom for providing research facilities for scientific work.
My warmest thanks are due to Docent Jouko Isojärvi for being my teacher and supervisor both in the clinical and scientific work from the beginning of my working career in the Department of Neurology. I thank him for his endless patience and enthuisiastic way to share his knowledge in epileptology during these years. I am also deeply grateful to my supervisor, Docent Juha Korpelainen for his tireless support and encouragement. His support during the past months has been essential for this thesis to conlude.
I owe my thanks to Docent Uolevi Tolonen for the optimistic and understanding attitude during this study and for the invaluable help in the neurophysiological assessment used in the present study.
I am indepted to Professor Heikki Huikuri for his excellent guidance in the field of heart rate variability analysis. I also wish to thank Professor Juhani Pyhtinen for his expert help in magnetic resonance imaging work. I thank Docent Kyösti Sotaniemi for his interest in my research work.
I wish to acknowledge most sincerely Professor Torbjörn Tomson and Docent Aarne Ylinen for their constructive and careful criticism during the preparation of the final manuscript of this thesis. I express my appreciation to Bryan Dobb for excellent and skilful revising of the English language of the manuscript.
I wish to thank my co-writers Kalervo Suominen, Marja Repo, Päivikki Tanskanen and Antero Koivula for their efforts in substudies. I own my thanks to the whole staff of the Departments of Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Radiology and Division of Cardiology for their excellent co-operation through the yaers of this study. I also wish express my sincere gratitute to the patients who made this study possible.
My special thanks go to my colleagues in epilepsy research, Johanna Rättyä, Virpi Pylvänen, Usko Huuskonen, Katja Luoma, Kirsi Ruotsalainen, Eeva Löfgren and Eija
Ronkainen -thanks for your friendship, laughs and inspiring conversations. I warmly acknowledge Jaana Huttula and Paula Kelhä for their friendship and assistance.
I thank all my friends and relatives for the support that has helped me to continue this work during these years.
My parents, Tarja and Pertti deserve my loving gratitute for supporting me unconditionally during these years. I thank my sister Lotta and brothers Janne and Jussi and their families with love.
Finally, my dearest thanks are expressed to my lifecompanion Jarmo. You have filled my life with love and happiness.
I thank the Graduate School of Circumpolar Wellbeing, Health and Adaptation. This study was financially supported by Duodemin Foundation, Epilepsy Research Foundation, Maire Taponen Foundation, Neurology Foundation and Orion-Farmos Foundation.