Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal electrical impulses in the brain that are manifested as seizures. These abnormal electrical impulses can be caused by anything that disturbs the brain's normal neural activity, such as a virus that affects the central nervous system, a brain injury or abnormal level of neurotransmitters. During epileptic seizures, an individual may jerk uncontrollably, lose consciousness or experience convulsions.
Medications
About 80 percent of individuals diagnosed with epilepsy have their seizures controlled with medications, surgery or both. While the exact mechanism of most antiepileptic medications such as Diastat, Gabitril and Lyrica are unknown, researchers believe that they work by enhancing the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a chemical that has a calming effect on the central nervous system. These medications, according to Epilepsy.com, block the neuronal and glial reuptake of gamma-aminobutyric acid--in other words, retaining more of it in the brain--thus enhancing and extending its effects on the central nervous system, which can in turn control seizures.
Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet prescribed for epileptic children who are unresponsive to anti-epileptic medications. The ketogenic diet stimulates many of the metabolic effects of starvation due the elimination of carbohydrates from the diet, forcing the body to produce ketone bodies, β-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and acetone, the byproducts of fatty acid metabolism. Acetoacetate has been proven to inhibit glutatmate, a neurotransmitter believed to play a role in provoking seizures as well as neurodegeneration in intractable epilepsies. Additionally, β-hydroxybutyrate is structurally similar to gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter known for its calming and anticonvulsant effects on the central nervous system. During ketosis, oxaloacetate, a tricarboxylic acid cycle substrate used to produced glutamate and aspartate, is forcibly consumed. The consumption of oxaloacetate results in glutamate being shunted and used for the synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Vagus nerve stimulation is a treatment option for individuals whose seizures are uncontrollable through regular medication. This therapy entails the surgical implantation of a stimulator battery under the skin in the chest. The stimulator prevents seizures by sending regular electrical impulses to the brain via the vagus nerve. According the MayoClinic.com, up to 50 percent of patients receiving vagus nerve stimulation have reduced seizure activity, including reduced seizure frequency and intensity
