The ketogenic diet (KD) has been used successfully in a variety of epilepsy 
syndromes. This includes syndromes with multiple etiologies, including 
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and infantile spasms; developmental syndromes of unknown 
etiology, such as Landau-Kleffner syndrome; and idiopathic epilepsies, such as 
myoclonic-astatic (Doose) epilepsy. It also includes syndromes where genetics 
play a major role, such as Dravet syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and Rett 
syndrome. Study of the KD in humans and animals harboring various genetic 
mutations may yield insights into the diet's mechanisms. Comparison of the 
diet's effectiveness with other treatments in specific syndromes may be another 
useful tool for mechanistic studies. The diet's utility in epilepsy syndromes of 
various etiologies and in some neurodegenerative disorders suggests it may have 
multiple mechanisms of action.