Seizures/Epilepsy Epilepsy occurs as a result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Brain cells communicate by sending electrical signals in an orderly pattern. In epilepsy, these electrical signals become abnormal, giving rise to an "electrical storm" that produces seizures. These storms may be within a specific part of the brain or may be generalized, depending on the type of epilepsy. Epilepsy is the oldest-known brain disorder; in the early ages people did not understand the causes, people often thought that it was a demon possession. It was not until the late 1880s that the disease was correctly identified. Dr. John Jackson, a famous English neurologist, was the first person to correctly determine the characteristics of …show more content…
Normal EEG readings and lack of response to epileptic drugs are clues that they are not true epileptic seizures. These types of seizure may be treated with psychiatric medications. (Devinsky) Some people are aware of the beginning of a seizure, possibly as much as hours or days before it happens. On the other hand, some people may not be aware of the beginning and therefore have no warning. Some people may experience feelings, sensations or changes in behavior hours or days before a seizure. These feelings are generally not part of the seizure, but may warn a person that a seizure may occur. Not everyone may experience these signs, which are an indication that may help a person change their activities. An aura or warning is the first symptom of a seizure, often the aura is an unrecognizable feeling. Other times it’s easy to recognize and may be a change in feeling, sensation, thought, or behavior that is similar each time a seizure occurs. The middle of a seizure is often called the ictal phase. It’s the period of time from the first symptoms to the end of the seizure activity, This correlates with the electrical seizure activity in the brain. Sometimes the visible symptoms last longer than the seizure activity on an EEG. This is because some of the visible symptoms may be after effects of a seizure or not related to seizure activity at all. As the seizure ends, it is the recovery period. Some people recover immediately while others may take minutes
When many people think of epilepsy they think of someone falling on the ground shaking and jerking uncontrollably and the thought makes them uncomfortable. Some believe bystanders should put a wooden spoon in the mouth of the one having a seizure and hold them down. These are both misconceptions. Most people think that epilepsy and seizures are the same, this information is also incorrect. Epilepsy is an often misinterpreted disorder. To better understand the disorder and the lives of people with Ep more information and education is needed.
Seizure is an abnormal electrical activity in a person's brain, seizures can occur on a daily basis. Others have them once every couple of months and many may have them every now and then or never if treated with medication. There are many types of seizure, for some seizures a person may become very stiff leading them to pass out and their whole body shakes, full body-seizures can reduce breathing, bite their tongues causing them to bleed,
Seizure is the physical finding that occurs after abnormal electrical activities in the brain. Patients with seizures could have symptoms like changes in one’s behavior, drooling, frothing at the mouth, irregular eye movement, grunting and snorting, incontinence, extreme changes in mood, shakes, sudden falls, abnormal changes in taste buds, clenching teeth, respiratory arrest, uncontrolled muscle spasms, twitching, and brief blackout follow by period of confusion where they don’t remember anything (Seizures: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). Seizures also have many underlying etiology such as abnormal sodium or glucose levels in the blood, brain infections, brain injuries, brain tumor,
The cause of all seizures is unclear, but doctors have come up with some reasons why they may occur. Common forms of generalized epilepsy, absence attacks, and tonic-clonic seizures are sometimes caused because of an inherited instability. This is where the inherited instability in functioning of neurones is responsible for these disorders. It is still not understood just how this genetic defect works, it could be the abnormality is in the structure of the neurone's outer membrance, which could cause electrical instability.
Many people who have had a seizure disorders can have an ordinary life while others may need the help of an aide. In an article by the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan, they state, “Living with epilepsy is often associated with fear: fear of having a seizure in public, fear of injury, fear of losing one’s job, fear of dying, and many other legitimate fears.” With the help of an aide, the patient may be able to overcome some fears associated with the seizure disorder. There is a process of taking care of someone with a seizure disorder, which can improve their quality of life and provide them with the support they need.
Epilepsy is not what you think. It is a complicated disease, a disease that doesn't just affect one type of person or age. Over fifty million men, women, and children cope with this disease daily. Epilepsy is a mysterious disease to those who are unfamiliar and uneducated about the disease. Many people have preconceived notions about Epileptics. Researching the topic thoroughly, the five preconceived notions I explored have been proven to be false.
Seizure disorders, according to the Mayo Clinic (2015), affect approximately 1 in 26 people in the United States. Persistent, or chronic, seizures result from a condition called epilepsy, a neurological disorder of the central nervous system. It can affect anyone regardless of age, but is more common during early childhood and after age 60. Given the number of people that seizure disorders, such as epilepsy, affect, it becomes helpful to gain a foundational understanding of the disease, including some of the causes, symptoms, and treatments available.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which individuals have recurrent seizures. Seizures can occur in children and adults of any age. There are around 50 million people in the world who has the disorder. Individuals in developing countries are at a higher risk for developing the disorder. Seizures occur due to hyper-excitability and hyper-synchronization of neurons. Action potential transmits messages and it leads to depolarization. When neurons are uncontrollably depolarizes because of hyper-excitability due to too little inhibition, it cause a seizure. Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. As spontaneously they can develop is also as fast and spontaneous they can end.
When epilepsy is present, seizure activity will appear as rapid spiking waves on the EEG.
After that night I learned just about everything I could about a seizure because I never wanted to have the feeling of not knowing again. So what is a seizure? A seizure is characterized by a sudden electrical abnormality in the brain (Seizures, 20013). Most seizures last from as little as a few seconds to about two minutes (seizures, 2013). There are multiple types of seizures that a person can have. There are generalized seizures that are characterized by starting to start in all parts of the brain and impossible to pinpoint the origin of the abnormality because of the rapid spread (generalized, 2012). The different types of this include; absence (petit mal) seizures, that is also known as a starring spell and can look like day dreaming; tonic
The individual may appear to be in a trance and moves randomly with no control over body movements. The individual's activity does not cease during the seizure, but behavior is random and totally unrelated to the individual's surroundings. This form of seizure may be preceded by an aura (a warning sensation characterized by feelings of fear, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, or strange odors and sensations).
Epilepsy Research Paper People most often associate violent twitching, falling to the floor and drooling with epilepsy. However the described event is only one kind of an epileptic seizure, which is called a tonic-clonic seizure. There are many other kinds of seizures, and each has different sets of signs and symptoms. During generalized seizures the whole brain is affected and the initial symptom is loss of consciousness. This category includes such seizures as absence seizure, myoclonic seizure, and atonic attack.
Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has two or more seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. Epilepsy is one of the oldest conditions of the human race. Epilepsy Awareness is important because Epilepsy is a widely misunderstood disorder. The reason that Epilepsy has been misunderstood has been mainly due to research not being conducted until the middle of the nineteenth century. There are six main types of seizures and many treatments that can assist an epileptic patient. Many facts and myths exist about a person who has Epilepsy, which, is why it is an important disorder to understand. A person living with Epilepsy can typically have a normal life after seeking medical advice from doctors.
Complex partial: often cause the patient to loose consciousness for one to three minutes. During this time symptoms such as lip smacking, hallucinations, chewing or teeth grinding will occur. A period of confusion will also follow this type of seizure.
There are three main cases to be solved in this project. First is to identify whether an EEG showing seizure or not. Second is to identify the 5 categories of EEG. Third is to identify the classification of EEG, whether it is indicating healthy brain activity, potential epileptic seizure or actual epileptic seizure.