Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by abnormal electrochemical signaling between the nerve cells of the brain, which can cause strange thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Some people with epilepsy also experience seizures, with symptoms including convulsions, muscle spasms, and even loss of consciousness. The National Epilepsy Foundation reports that epilepsy is diagnosed when a person has had two or more unprovoked seizures. There are several different epilepsy syndromes, which differ by the type of seizure and associated signs and symptoms.
Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, according to the Epilepsy Foundation usually begins in childhood between the ages of 1 and 5 years. Children with this severe form of epilepsy have multiple different types of seizures: atonic seizures, in which sudden relaxation of the muscles can cause the person to drop to the ground; tonic seizures, in which the muscles contract, and the body becomes abnormally stiff; tonic-clonic seizures, in which the muscles spontaneously and rapidly contract and relax, resulting in convulsions; and atypical absence seizures, whereby the body may engage in movements over which the person has no conscious control. Other possible symptoms and signs of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome are mental retardation and a distinct pattern of brain waves that may aid doctors in diagnosis. The type and frequency of seizures may change as the child grows older.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE)
NINDS (The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) indicates that temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy. People with this form of epilepsy experience focal seizures, which only affect one part of the brain. As the name suggests, the seizures of temporal lobe epilepsy are focused in the temporal lobe. Over time, temporal lobe seizures can cause part of the brain called the hippocampus to shrink. Because the hippocampus is critical for learning and memory formation, the NINDS recommends swift treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy.
Status Epilepticus
Status epilepticus is a very severe type of epilepsy that affects 100,000 to 150,000 Americans each year, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The seizures that affect people with this form of epilepsy can last for more than 20 minutes, and can result in permanent brain damage or even death. The most severe subtype of status epilepticus is when the person experiences tonic-clonic seizures, whereby the whole body is seized in convulsions, and the muscles repeatedly contract and relax.
Myoclonic Epilepsy
The seizures that affect people with myoclonic epilepsy are characterized by short jerky contractions of muscles in one area of the body, such as the face, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. When these seizures affect children, this form of epilepsy is called juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, or "impulsive petit mal." Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy usually affects children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 20, and makes up 7 percent of all epilepsy conditions. When the onset of myoclonic epilepsy occurs in adulthood, the condition is called adult myoclonic epilepsy. Adult myoclonic epilepsy usually starts in middle age.
