Brain Health:

Conditions

Epileptic seizures happen when abnormal electrical activity occurs in your brain. This activity can cause different symptoms depending on the type of seizure you're having, and which part of your brain is involved.

Generalized seizures involve the whole brain. Different types of generalized seizures include:

• Absence Seizures (previously called “petit mal”) do not cause complete unconsciousness. They begin and end abruptly, lasting only a few seconds. Symptoms may include:
  • Eye blinking or fluttering
  • Staring into space
• Atonic Seizures (also known as drop attacks) are often characterized by:
  • Loss of muscle strength
  • Sudden falls
  • Brief duration, sometimes just a few seconds
• Clonic Seizures are often characterized by:
  • Rhythmic, jerking muscle movements (usually in the neck, face, and arms)
  • Continuous duration for several seconds
• Myoclonic Seizures may seem similar in appearance to clonic seizures, characterized by:
  • Sudden muscle twitches
  • Brief duration, sometimes just a few seconds
• Tonic Seizures are often characterized by:
  • Involuntary stiffening of muscles
  • Affects the back, arms, and legs
  • Sudden falls
  • Duration lasting several seconds to a few minutes
• Tonic-clonic Seizures (previously called “grand mal”) are the most severe in nature and involve:
  • Complete loss of consciousness
  • Stiffening and jerking movements of the entire body
  • Confusion, headache, muscle soreness, and sleepiness after seizure
  • Longer duration, up to several minutes

Focal seizures begin in a specific part of the brain and can happen with or without loss of consciousness. Symptoms are often confused with other neurological disorders, such as migraine, narcolepsy, or mental illness. Types of focal seizures include:

• Focal Seizures with impaired awareness involve a change or loss of consciousness or awareness. Other symptoms can include:
  • Psychic symptoms such as fear, anxiety, or deja vu
  • Failing to respond normally to the environment
  • Repetitive movements, such as hand rubbing, gesturing, chewing, or swallowing
  • Abnormal speech patterns
  • Turning of the head and eyes toward one direction

• Focal Seizures without loss of consciousness don't typically impair awareness, but may:
  • Alter mood or emotions
  • Cause involuntary jerking of a body part, such as an arm or leg
  • Change the way things look, smell, feel, taste, or sound
  • Create spontaneous sensory symptoms such as tingling, dizziness, and flashing lights

Not all seizure-like spells are considered epilepsy. Non-epileptic spells can be caused by impaired blood flow to your brain, sleep disorders, psychological conflicts, and various other brain disturbances. While they may appear similar in terms of symptoms, non-epileptic spells are not caused by the abnormal electrical discharges of brain cells that characterize epileptic seizures. An EEG test can determine the difference, paving the way toward the most appropriate and effective course of treatment.