WHAT IS EPILEPSY
Neurological disorder
Primarily characterized by repetitive spontaneous seizures
Many different types
Wide range of symptoms that vary from person to person
Characterized by abnormal electrical activity in brain
CAUSES
Caused by abnormal activity in brain cells
Directly influenced by any head injury or family-related condition
Genetic influence: over 500 genes identified which could lead to epilepsy
Head trauma
Tumors
Strokes
Infectious diseases (AIDS, meningitis)
Prenatal Injury
High correlation of epilepsy in older individuals
SIGNAL MECHANISM
Intracellular Ca2+ levels and calcium homeostatic mechanisms stimulate ligand-gated ion channel receptors
Elevations in Ca2+ levels can cause acquired epilepsy
Glutamate is a
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rubbing, chewing generalized seizures involve all areas of the brain absence: occur in clusters; blank staring and subtle movement e.g. blinking tonic: muscles stiffen atonic or “drop: sudden loss of muscle control clonic: rhythmic jerking of neck, face, arms myoclonic: sudden brief jerking of limbs tonic-clonic: loss of consciousness, whole body stiffening or jerking
CORRECT MECHANISM glutamate ionotropic receptors: all permeable to Na and K ions alpha-amino-2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-oxo-4-isoxazolepropanoic acid (AMPA kainate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) has Ca channel blocked by Mg ions in membrane depolarization, Mg is displaced and Ca floods cell glutamate metabotropic receptor
Epilepsy/seizure – caused by an abnormal electrical condition in the brain producing: absences, convulsions, unusual movements, temporary loss of consciousness.
This paper is on epilepsy and seizures. The human brain is the source of all human epilepsy. (Steven C. Schachter, Patricia O. Shafer, Joseph I. Sirven, 2013) What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is sometimes referred to a seizure disorder, though not all seizures are related to epilepsy. According to the website Stony Brook Medicine, the reason a seizure occurs is because of an unexpected surge of electrical activity in the brain. (Stony Brook Medicine, 2014) Due to the overloading of electrical activity, it causes short-lived disturbance in the messaging system between the brain cells. The word epilepsy approaches from a Greek word 'epi' signifying 'upon or above' and the Greek word
Epilepsy is due to an upset in brain chemistry, which means that the messages that travel between nerve cells or neurons become scrambled. Because of this, the activity of neurons is disturbed and results in a seizure or loss of consciousness. Many types of seizure can occur and epilepsy can affect anyone at any age.
On a fundamental level, seizures can be viewed as resulting from an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory processes in the brain. Proposed mechanisms for the generation and spread of seizure activity within the brain include abnormalities in the membrane properties of neurons, changes in the ionic micro environment surrounding the neuron, decreased inhibitory neurotransmission which is primarily by gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), or enhanced excitatory neurotransmission which is primarily mediated by the acidic amino acid,
A seizure is an instantaneous change in behavior provoked by electrical hyper synchronization of neuronal networks in the cerebral cortex. Most seizures can be categorized as either focal or generalized according to whether the onset of electrical activity involves a focal region of the brain or both sides of the brain simultaneously. The clinical manifestations of seizures vary based on the location of the seizure in the brain and the amount of cortex that is involved. Focal seizures are further classified by whether consciousness is altered or not during the event. Types of seizures include, focal seizures with retained awareness: This vary from one person to another, it’s dependent entirely on the part of the cortex that is disrupted at the commencement of the seizure; a seizure that begins in the occipital cortex may result in flashing lights, while a seizure that affects the motor cortex will result in rhythmic jerking movements of the face, arm, or leg on the side of the body opposite to the involved cortex also called Jacksonian seizure, a seizure that begins in the parietal cortex may cause distortion of spatial perception, and a seizure that begins in the dominant frontal lobe may cause sudden speech difficulties. The symptoms
The Impacts of Cyberspace Imagine living in a world trapped within one's own body without a way out. Many characters are disconnected from reality, bodies, and souls. Abusing drugs daily has led many people to develop massive drug deficiencies due to their world slowly crumbling down over time. In William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, the story displays imagery, motifs, and metaphors to immerse the reader in a society that no longer has values. Throughout the story, each of the characters deals with their own problems that they need to overcome, like addiction and technology, to cope with their problems.
“Epilepsy is a neurological condition, which affects the nervous system. (www.epilepsy.com/101/ep101_epilepsy) Epilepsy is also known as seizure disorder. People are usually diagnosed after having two seizures that was caused by a known medical condition such as extremely low blood sugar or withdrawal from alcohol.
Many people around the world may be familiar with the horrible diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which both are commonly caused from brain trauma. However, what people may not know is that these brain injuries are frequently reoccuring among athletes from collision sports. CTE is a neurodegenerative disease found from multiple head injuries. On the other hand, ALS can also be from a brain collision or hereditary. ALS causes death to neurons, which control voluntary muscles. The fact these diseases are reoccuring primarily due to sports, brings a debate on whether the rules and sports should be changed to ensure better safety for the athletes or whether athletes
Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain becomes disrupted, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations and sometimes loss of consciousness. Epilepsy also known as seizures is a brain disorder involving repeated, spontaneous seizures of any type. Epilepsy is not a single disorder but rather a wide spectrum of problems. What all types of epilepsy share are recurrent, unprovoked seizures caused by an uncontrolled electrical discharge from nerve cells in the cerebral cortex. This part of the brain controls higher mental functions, general movement, and the functions of the internal organs in the abdominal cavity, perception, and behavioral reactions.
Several factors can cause brain injury such as a stroke, use of drugs, fever, and more. By having these factors affect the brain, it can be severe enough to cause a seizure. Though brain injury can provoke seizures, other factors “such as increased physical activity, emotional stress, excessive fatigue, alcohol or caffeine consumption, or certain foods or chemicals” (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p.859), can all lead to causing a seizure. A healthcare provider may prescribe a patient Carbamazepine and Dilantin. As for Dilantin, it can help with the “treatment/prevention of tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures and complex partial seizures” (Skyscape, 2015); reducing the occurrence of the body’s stiffness and jerking
Epilepsy, also called seizure disorder, chronic brain disorder that briefly interrupts the normal electrical activity of the brain to cause seizures, characterized by a variety of symptoms including uncontrolled movements of the body, disorientation or confusion, sudden fear, or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy may result from a head injury, stroke, brain tumor, lead poisoning, genetic conditions, or severe infections like meningitis or encephalitis. In over 70 percent of cases no cause for epilepsy were identified. About 1 percent of the world population, or over 2 million people, are diagnosed with epilepsy.
A seizure is another synonym for the term epilepsy. It is the 4th most common neurological problem in US. More than 3 million on an average are experiencing epileptic seizures at any point. While the other more frequent mental issues are Alzheimer’s and migraine problems. The frequency of seizures, their timings of occurrences is unknown and unpredictable. About in 70% of the cases these can be controlled and cured to a large extent with prescription medication and prevents a number of deaths. Using medication is the first thing that is preferred and suggested by physicians to control seizures before going for surgeries. There are various causes behind the frequent episodes of
Epilepsy is classified as a chronic neurological disorder characterized by repetitive seizures. Recurring seizures are caused by disruptions in the brain's nerve cell activity. These disruptions can result in seizures, odd behavior, strange sensations, and in some cases blackouts or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy covers a large spectrum of brain disorders that range from benign and minor to severe and life-threatening or disabling.
Epilepsy is characterized as a brain disorder in which you have a tendency to trigger seizures. It occurs when there is a abnormal or excessive amount of electrical activity in the brain, and is usually diagnosed after a person has two or more seizures that are not caused by medical conditions. Epilepsy is very common in society today. 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime and 65 million people already have epilepsy worldwide. After any type of epileptic seizure episodes of sensory disturbances, loss of consciousness, convulsions, and many other symptoms can spark.
During these seizures, high-voltage, synchronous discharges occur over the entire cortex. Furthermore, the same type of discharge occurs on both sides of the brain at the same time, showing that the abnormal neuronal circuitry responsible for the attack strongly involves the basal regions of the brain that drive the cortex. In humans, grand mal attacks can be initiated by administering neuronal stimulants, such as the drug Metrazol, or they can be caused by insulin hypoglycemia or by the passage of alternating electrical current directly through the brain. Electrical recordings from the thalamus and also from the reticular formation of the brain stem during the grand mal attack show typical high-voltage activity in both of these areas similar to that recorded from the cerebral cortex. Presumably, therefore, a grand mal attack is caused by abnormal activation in the lower parts of the brain activating system itself.