Epilepsy is one of the common diseases of the nervous system. Brain injuries caused by seizures has been confirmed by animal experiments and clinical observations. Insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) is a neurotrophic protective factor， which plays an important role in the growth， development， differentiation and repair of the central nervous system after injury. However， its role in seizures is controversial. This paper reviews the current research on IGF-1 and epilepsy， and discusses the relationship between IGF-1 and epilepsy based on a large number of literatures.