Epilepsy, also called seizure disorder, describes a condition of recurrent unprovoked seizures. Seizures occur when nerves on the brain produce a sudden and strong surge of electrical impulses. Unprovoked seizures include those that occur without...
Epilepsy.com defines primary generalized seizures as seizures that occur due to a broad electrical discharge in the brain that involves both sides of the brain simultaneously. Another name for primary generalized seizures is primary generalized...
When using EEG to study a patient that is suspected of having epilepsy, some sort of provocation, such as hyperventilation or flashing lights, is commonly used. Frequently, the provocation methods bring out epileptic abnormalities in the EEG...
Epilepsy is marked by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This electrical activity causes malfunctioning of the brain, which can cause seizures. Epilepsy can cause a variety of different symptoms depending on where and how much of the brain...
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year. While no cure is available for this condition, 70 percent of those diagnosed are expected to become seizure-free once on the right medication, or...
A tonic-clonic seizure is the most common type of generalized seizure experienced by those with epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Also referred to as a grand mal or gran mal seizure, a tonic-clonic episode has two phases: the tonic,...
Epilepsy is a common serious neurological disorder. In many cases, it has no apparent cause, but it can result from such factors as head injury, a tumor, or a developmental abnormality. Seizures affect the body in different ways, depending on the...
Merck.com defines seizure disorders as abnormal brain electrical activity that may result in one or more of the following: convulsions, abnormal jerky movements and loss of consciousness. Seizures are fairly common, according to Merck: about 2...
The Epilepsy Foundation describes epilepsy as abnormal hyperactivity of the brain's electrical functioning. Epilepsy has no known cause in 60 to 75 percent of all cases. Where causes can be identified, reasons may include injury to the fetus,...
Epilepsy refers to a disorder of the electrical signals in the brain that lead to seizures. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy affects about 300,000 children under the age of 14 in the United States.
The human brain is composed of neurons, cells that generate electrical signals to communicate with each other. A seizure or convulsion is the result of a misfiring of these electrical signals. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, about 10% of...
Lamictal, or lamotrigine, is prescribed for patients who suffer from partial seizures caused by epilepsy or generalized seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Lamictal has also recently been discovered as an effective adjunctive treatment for...
Seizures and epilepsy affect almost 3 million Americans of all ages, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. The difference between seizures and epilepsy is the prevalence, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Seizures due to a...
Epilepsy syndromes are disorders characterized by seizures and other distinct concurrent symptoms. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reports that researchers have defined hundreds of epilepsy syndromes. Each syndrome...
As of 2010, what used to be called grand mal epilepsy is now called generalized tonic-clonic seizure disorder. The term describes a pattern where an individual, for one of many reasons, first loses consciousness, then falls. The person next...
Sometimes trauma to the brain results in seizures. Brain trauma may occur following a variety of incidents including a car accident or sports injury. Injury to the brain may also occur during birth trauma or a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), more...
Epilepsy is a disruption of the brain's electrical impulses causing seizures. MayoClinic.com states one in every 100 Americans may experience a seizure once during a lifetime. It cautions that this does not constitute epilepsy. Two unprovoked...
Myoclonic seizures involve sudden, uncontrollable spasming of one of more limbs, the neck, torso or entire body. Although any person may experience myoclonic seizures, a pattern of these seizures repeated over time is likely to be considered a...
Seizures and other symptoms of epilepsy in babies may occur due to birth defects, illness, fevers, delivery problems and poisoning or toxins in the bloodstream. The University of Maryland Medical Center, UMMC, also lists neurological--brain and...
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, also known as impulsive petit mal seizures or Janz syndrome, is an inherited epilepsy syndrome. Typically presenting in adolescence, JME is usually a life-long condition. According to the University of Maryland Medical...
The two main groups of seizures, generalized and partial, are differentiated by the way they manifest in the brain. Generalized seizures are highly hereditary and involve both sides of the brain. Conversely, partial seizures are limited to a...
Drinking brings pleasure to the body because of its effect on the nervous system. Unfortunately, alcoholism can have serious and unwanted affects on the nervous system that can lead to seizure. These seizures can happen while the person is...
Doctors don't know exactly what happens when a seizure takes place. It appears the electrical impulses in the brain become abnormal and this can causes a seizure to occur. There are several different types of seizures. Partial seizures only...
Epilepsy is a type of brain disorder characterized by sporadic episodes of abnormal signaling within the brain. When this occurs, patients can experience involuntary muscle contractions and movements referred to as seizures. The National Institute...
Epilepsy is a disease caused by surges of electrical activity in the brain, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. About 1 in every 100 people in the U.S. will have one seizure during his life. One seizure, however, does not mean that a person has...
The Merck Manual Home Edition notes that about 2 percent of people have a seizure, a neurological condition in which irregular electrical activity occurs in the brain. Seizures can affect one part of the brain, called a partial seizure, or the...
The symptoms of nonepileptic seizures, also known as psychogenic seizures, are often indistinguishable from those of epilepsy. However, the cause of the events is markedly different. With epilepsy, seizures occur due to a spontaneous surge in...
Seizures--a symptom of epilepsy--are characterized by behavioral and physical changes (such as blackouts) caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The presentation of symptoms varies depending upon the type of seizure and part of the...
The brain controls every action of an individual by continually sending and receiving signals through the spinal cord to all the nerves and muscles of the body. A seizure describes a brain dysfunction that occurs when these electrical impulses in...
