Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which a person suffers seizures due to abnormal brain activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than two million people in the United States have epilepsy. There are several different types of epilepsy, which are classified based on the type of seizures the person experiences, or are grouped according to a specific disease or syndrome.
Myoclonic Epilepsy
Myoclonic epilepsy is characterized by rapid muscle contraction and relaxation. This causes jerking movements of the limbs, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. This explanation can be dissected from the roots of the word "myoclonic:" "Myo" means "muscle" and "clonic" indicates rapid jerking. Seven percent of all epilepsies are juvenile myclonic epilepsy, in which people between age 8 and 20 suffer these types of seizures. Another epilepsy disease, called adult myoclonic epilepsy, is diagnosed when no other identifiable cause of seizures can be diagnosed. The onset of this form of epilepsy occurs during adulthood.
Progressive myoclonic epilepsy is an epileptic disease that's distinct from juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, though the onset of both diseases is in childhood. This form of epilepsy is inherited and affects children in a tighter age range than juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: beteween ages 6 and15. Progressive myoclonic epilepsy usually involves seizures that are tonic (extreme rigidity and stiffness) and clonic (jerking movements). Flashing lights can trigger these seizures.
Another type of myoclonic epilepsy is myoclonic-astatic epilepsy. The second part of the term, "astatic," refers to a loss of coordination in the muscles. A person experiencing these seizures may have difficulty walking or sitting from a standing position during or after a seizure.
Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
The Epilepsy Foundation of America reports that people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome have multiple different types of seizures, have a range of possible mental deficiencies, and have a distinctive brain-wave pattern that aids in diagnosis. This type of epilepsy syndrome generally begins in children between ages 3 and 5, and affects boys somewhat more often than girls. Lennox-Gastaut is a very rare syndrome, affecting only 0.3 out of 1,000 children. Approximately 30 percent of children experience status epilepticus at the onset of this disease. This is characterized by nonstop seizures. Medical intervention is needed for these seizures to stop.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE)
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) reports that temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of epilepsy. People with this form of epilepsy experience focal seizures, which means that the "electrical storm" of the seizure occurs in only one part of the brain; in this case, the part of the brain affected is the temporal lobe. Repeated seizures of this type can cause the hippocampus, the region of the brain important for learning and memory formation, to shrink. Treatment early in the course of TLE can prevent these detrimental effects on memory and learning.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Epilepsy-Introduction
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Seizures and Epilepsy: Hope Through Research
- The Centers for DIsease Control and Prevention (CDC): Epliepsy: Frequently Asked Questions
- The Epilepsy Foundation of America: Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
