Seizure Study
What is a seizure?
A seizure is a sudden disruption of the brain's normal electrical activity accompanied by altered consciousness and/or other neurological and behavioral manifestations. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures with symptoms that vary from a momentary lapse of attention to severe convulsions.
Types of seizures
Grand-Mal Seizures – This type of seizure presents as a generalized tonic-clonic seizure that often begins with a loud cry before the person having the seizure loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The muscles become rigid for about 30 seconds during the tonic phase of the seizure and alternately contract and relax during the clonic phase, which lasts 30-60 seconds. The skin sometimes acquires a bluish tint and the person may bite his tongue, lose bowel or bladder control, or have trouble breathing. A grand mal seizure lasts between two and five minutes, and the person may be confused or have trouble talking when he regains consciousness. The period of time immediately following a seizure is known as the “post-ictal” state.
Primary generalized seizures – This is a primary generalized seizure that occurs when electrical discharges begin in both halves (hemispheres) of the brain at the same time. Primary generalized seizures are more likely to be major motor attacks than to be absence seizures. Absence (petit mal) seizures – This type of seizure generally begin at about the age of four, and usually stops by the time the child becomes an adolescent. Petit Mal seizures usually begin with a brief loss of consciousness and last between one and 10 seconds. A person having a petit mal seizure becomes very quiet and may blink, stare blankly, roll his eyes, or move his lips. A petit mal seizure lasts 15-20 seconds. When it ends, the person who had the seizure resumes whatever he was doing before the seizure began. He will not remember the seizure and may not realize that anything unusual has happened.
A seizure is a sudden disruption of the brain's normal electrical activity accompanied by altered consciousness and/or other neurological and behavioral manifestations. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures with symptoms that vary from a momentary lapse of attention to severe convulsions.
Types of seizures
Grand-Mal Seizures – This type of seizure presents as a generalized tonic-clonic seizure that often begins with a loud cry before the person having the seizure loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The muscles become rigid for about 30 seconds during the tonic phase of the seizure and alternately contract and relax during the clonic phase, which lasts 30-60 seconds. The skin sometimes acquires a bluish tint and the person may bite his tongue, lose bowel or bladder control, or have trouble breathing. A grand mal seizure lasts between two and five minutes, and the person may be confused or have trouble talking when he regains consciousness. The period of time immediately following a seizure is known as the “post-ictal” state.
Primary generalized seizures – This is a primary generalized seizure that occurs when electrical discharges begin in both halves (hemispheres) of the brain at the same time. Primary generalized seizures are more likely to be major motor attacks than to be absence seizures. Absence (petit mal) seizures – This type of seizure generally begin at about the age of four, and usually stops by the time the child becomes an adolescent. Petit Mal seizures usually begin with a brief loss of consciousness and last between one and 10 seconds. A person having a petit mal seizure becomes very quiet and may blink, stare blankly, roll his eyes, or move his lips. A petit mal seizure lasts 15-20 seconds. When it ends, the person who had the seizure resumes whatever he was doing before the seizure began. He will not remember the seizure and may not realize that anything unusual has happened.