This review focuses on four areas of advances in epilepsy research: status epilepticus, temporal lobe epilepsy, imaging techniques, and new antiepileptic drugs. Results of the first randomized, double-blind clinical trial to compare the drug treatment options for generalized convulsive status epilepticus were announced. There was direct evidence of GABAAreceptor modification during status epilepticus, a role for neuropeptide Y in terminating seizures was described, and finally a genetic basis for susceptibility to neuronal loss during status epilepticus was described. The molecular basis of cell loss and circuit rearrangements in temporal lobe epilepsy was the subject of many studies. Although the consequences of circuit rearrangement remain controversial, there was increasing evidence of unique receptors and ion channels in the epileptic brain. Advanced imaging techniques allowed localization of seizure foci in patients in whom conventional techniques were uninformative. Monotherapy with antiepileptic drugs, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and topiramate, was demonstrated to be safe and efficacious in treatment of partial seizures.