The University of Maryland Medicine describes a seizure as an abnormal burst of electrical signals in the brain. The cells of the brain communicate through electrical activity, controlling all aspects of our voluntary and involuntary bodily functions. A seizure interrupts this process. The National Center for Biotechnology Information states that infant seizures may be subtle and difficult to recognize and require urgent intervention. Most neonatal seizures occur within the first few days after birth.
Symptoms of Subtle Seizures
The National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI, states that subtle seizures have symptoms that often go undetected, imitating normal reactions and behaviors. They are usually seen in infants of up to one month. They include random or roving eye movements; mouth movements such as smacking the lips, sticking out the tongue, chewing or sucking; progression movements manifested as thrashing, kicking or pedalling; and purposeless movements with sudden arm and leg activity and crying.
Symptoms of Motor Seizures
NCBI describes three different types of motor seizures: myoclonic seizures producing rapid and repetitive jerks affecting a finger, arm or the entire body; clonic seizures that produce localized and rhythmic jerks of a part of the face or arms and legs; and tonic seizures that are sustained contractions of the muscles evident in one place of the body or in several areas at the same time.
Symptoms of Infantile Spasms
The University of Maryland Medicine states that infantile spasms occur in babies from three months to a year and are considered rare. They usually occur upon wakening or going to sleep. There are brief moments of trunk, neck, or leg movements and can happen hundreds of times during the day.
Symptoms of Febrile Seizures
Associated with fever, the University of Maryland Medicine claim that two to five percent of American children have experienced febrile seizures. They usually occur between the ages of six months and six years. Seizures lasting less than 15 minutes are considered simple seizures. Longer than 15 minutes are complex and may have long-lasting neurological considerations.
