Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by regular seizures that can affect all or part of the brain. Normal signal transmission between nerve cells in the brain involves a short electrical pulse, which activates and signals to a neighboring cells. In an epileptic seizure, the electrical pulse does not turn off after transmission, and cells within the brain signal to each other uncontrollably for the duration of the seizure. In many cases, patients with epilepsy can predict a large seizure based on symptoms that precede the seizure.
Dizziness and Lightheadedness
Many patients will experience dizziness and lightheadedness before the onset of a seizure. This is generally referred to as epileptic vertigo, and typically presents as a quick spinning sensation that can occur before the seizure and continues over the course of the seizure.
A report by Dr. T. Hain, a professor at Northwestern University Medical School, indicates that epileptic vertigo results from abnormal stimulation that occurs in specific regions of the brain. These include the temporal lobes, which run along the sides the skull; the parietal lobe, located near the back of the brain; the border between the temporal and parietal lobe; and the frontal lobe, at the front of the brain. Epileptic vertigo can be treated by anti-seizure medications.
Emotional Disturbances
Patients with epilepsy may also experience emotional changes and disturbances leading up the beginning of a seizure. Emotional disturbances typically occur preceding seizures that affect the regions of the brain responsible for mood regulation, such as the amyglada, a region at the front of the brain responsible for fear responses.
According to Epilepsy.com, patients may experience feelings of profound fear before the seizure, which may continue during and after the seizure. Alternatively, some seizures occur after pleasant feelings or feelings of illumination, depending on where in the brain the seizure will occur. Emotional disturbances leading up to seizures may be controlled using anticonvulsant medication.
Visual Disruptions
Very common signs of an upcoming seizure include sensory disruptions and visual disturbances. These symptoms generally occur before seizures that affect the occipital lobe of the brain, a region at the back of the brain responsible for visual processing.
In a 2004 study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery and Psychology with Practical Neurology, Dr. M. Pfaender reported that patients suffering from occipital lobe seizures often experienced blurred vision, inability to focus, colored dots and hallucinations. Visual disturbances leading up to the seizure can be controlled by diet and anti-seizure medications.
