Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by unpredictable seizures that occur due to disturbed electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can vary in their symptoms depending on which part of the brain is affected but may include loss of awareness, muscle jerking, or staring spells. Epilepsy has many potential causes including family history, head injuries, infections, tumors or genetic conditions. It is diagnosed through neurological exams, imaging tests, and EEGs and can often be managed successfully with anti-seizure medications, though surgery may be considered if medications fail to control seizures.

1. Epilepsy
Understanding the Brain:
The Neurobiology of Everyday Life
The University of Chicago
Done by: Lolwah

2. OVERVIEW
 Epilepsy is seizure disorders and one of the most
common central nerves system disorder.
 Affects all people, males and females of all races
and ages.
 The brain activity becomes exceptional, causing
seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations
and, occasionally, loss of awareness.
 Characterized by unpredictable seizures which may
cause other health problems.
 Epilepsy is a spectrum condition with a diverse
range of seizure types and control varying from
person-to-person.

3. Causes
The epileptic seizures are caused by disturbances in the electrical
activity of the brain.
Most of the time these seizures cause is unknown. But it might be
related to
o Head injury, brain damage or strokes
o Meningitis and other infectious diseases
o Family tendency

4. Symptoms
– The seizures in epilepsy may affect any brain process, which may cause:
• Loss of consciousness or awareness.
• Weakness in any part of the body.
• Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms, legs, or both.
• A sense of impending doom, fear or anxiety.
• Staring into the space.
Mainly, symptoms are different depending on the type of seizure. In most cases,
epilepsy patient will tend to have the same type of seizure each time.

5. Types of seizures
 Focal seizures(partial): abnormal activity in just one area of the brain
 Focal seizures without loss of consciousness.
o Simple partial seizures
o Don't cause a loss of consciousness.
o Cause alter emotions or sense change
o Result in involuntary jerking of a body part
 Focal seizures with impaired awareness.
o Complex partial seizures
o Involve a change or loss of consciousness or awareness.
o Staring into space
o Not respond normally to the environment or perform repetitive
movements, such as walking in circles.

6. Types of seizures
 Generalized seizures
o Absence seizures. Most commonly occur in children and are
characterized by staring into space or subtle of the body movements
such as eye blinking or lip smacking. It might cause a brief loss of
awareness.
o Tonic seizures. Cause stiffening of the muscles. Usually affect back,
arms and legs muscles and which can result in falling down.
o Atonic seizures. Known as drop seizures, cause a loss of muscle
control, which may cause a sudden collapse or fall down.
o Clonic seizures. A repetitive jerking muscle movement. Which may
affect whole body or both sides
o Myoclonic seizures. Appear as sudden brief jerks or twitches of your
arms and legs.
o Tonic-clonic seizures. usually comes on suddenly and cause loss of
consciousness, body shaking and stiffening, and sometimes loss of
bladder control.

7. Risk Factors
 There are some factors that may increase the risk of epilepsy, including:
o Age: Even though it can start at any age, epilepsy tends to show up more in children and older adults.
o Family history: If anyone in the family has epilepsy, your risk may be higher.
o History of head injuries: Seizures can develop after hours, days, months, or even years of head trauma
o Dementia
o Seizures in childhood: If you had a long seizure or another nervous condition in childhood, your risk for
epilepsy is higher. This doesn't include febrile seizures, which occur when you have a high fever unless
they were abnormally long.
o Specific conditions: such as the later stages of Alzheimer's and brain tumors, including
neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis complex, both can interfere with the brain's normal activities
and increase the risk for developing epilepsy.

8. Diagnosis
The doctor may order several tests to diagnose epilepsy and
determine the cause of seizures, including:
• A neurological exam. To test motor abilities, mental function and behavior.
• Blood tests. The doctor may take a blood sample to determine any sign of infections or
genetic conditions.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG). This is the most common test used to diagnose epilepsy.
In this test, electrodes are attached to the scalp with a paste-like substance or cap. The
electrodes record the electrical activity of the brain.
• High-density EEG. To determine which areas of the brain are affected by seizures.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan. It can reveal the abnormalities in the brain which
might be causing your seizures, such as bleeding and tumors.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Functional MRI (fMRI). Doctors may use it before surgery to identify the exact
locations of critical functions, such as sight, speech and movement, so that surgeons
can avoid injuring those areas while operating.
• Neuropsychological tests. In these tests, doctors assess patient thinking, memory and
speech skills to determine brain affected area.

9. Treatment
 Usually doctors begin treating epilepsy patient
with medication. If medications don't treat the
condition, doctors may propose surgery or
another type of treatment.
o Medication. considering the patient condition,
frequency of seizures, age and other factors.
o Surgery. When medications fail to maintain
adequate control over seizures, surgery may be
needed to remove the affected area of the
brain.

10. Sources
 https://www.verywellhealth.com
 https://www.mayoclinic.org
 https://www.epilepsy.com