Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by seizures. Epileptic seizures occur when normal brain activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness.

Did You Know?

Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide.
Epilepsy and seizures affect 2.5 million Americans of all ages.

Epilepsy has many possible causes. It can develop after an illness, stroke, or head injury, and in some cases it can be part of someone's family history. Often, it is not possible to identify the exact cause with any certainty.

Epilepsy is not a one-size-fits-all disorder. Treatment must be individualized for each patient. That's why continued communication with your doctor is so important.

Types of Epilepsy

Doctors have identified hundreds of different epilepsy syndromes, and each has a different set of symptoms. Some types are hereditary, while others have no known cause. Determining what kind of epilepsy you have will help your doctor decide on the most appropriate treatment options. Epilepsy syndromes that get worse over time are called progressive epilepsy.

Here are some common epilepsy syndromes:

Absence epilepsy causes repeated absence seizures that result in momentary lapses of consciousness. These seizures almost always begin in childhood or adolescence, and they tend to run in families. Absence seizures may cause purposeless movements, such as a jerking arm or rapidly blinking eyes, or there may be no noticeable symptoms except for brief lapses in attention.
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the most common epilepsy syndrome, often begins in childhood. Because repeated temporal lobe seizures can cause a brain structure called the hippocampus to shrink over time, it's important to diagnose TLE early and begin treatment as soon as possible.
Neocortical epilepsy is characterized by seizures that originate from the brain's outer layer. They may include strange sensations, visual hallucinations, emotional changes, muscle spasms, convulsions, and a variety of other symptoms.
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome begins in childhood. Children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome have severe epilepsy with several different types of seizures, including atonic seizures—sometimes called drop attacks.

Types of Seizures

Just as there are many forms of epilepsy, there are many types of seizures. Doctors have described more than 30 different types of seizures. Seizures are divided into two major categories, focal and generalized, but there are different types of seizures within each of these categories.

Focal seizures—sometimes called partial seizures—occur in only one part of the brain. Most people with epilepsy (60%) have focal seizures. These seizures are frequently described by the area of the brain in which they originate, such as temporal or frontal lobe seizures.

A simple focal seizure does not result in a loss of consciousness, but it may cause sudden and unexplainable feelings of joy, anger, sadness, or nausea. Some people also may hear, smell, taste, see, or feel things that are not real during this type of seizure.
Complex focal seizures cause a change in, or loss of, consciousness, creating a dreamlike experience. Complex focal seizures may cause unusual, repetitious behaviors called automatisms. These behaviors include blinks, twitches, mouth movements, walking in a circle, and even more complicated actions.

Many people who have focal seizures experience unusual feelings or movements that “warn” them of an impending seizure. This warning is called an aura, and it's actually a simple seizure that precedes a larger, more severe seizure.

Generalized seizures are a result of abnormal activity on both sides of the brain. These seizures may cause loss of consciousness, falls, or massive muscle spasms.

Absence seizures—once called petit mal seizures—cause staring into space and/or jerking or twitching muscles.
Tonic seizures cause stiffening of muscles of the body, generally in the back, legs, and arms.
Clonic seizures cause repeated jerking movements of muscles on both sides of the body.
Myoclonic seizures cause jerks or twitches of the upper body, arms, or legs.
Atonic seizures cause a loss of normal muscle tone, which may cause the person to fall down (sometimes called a drop attack).
Tonic-clonic seizures—once called grand mal seizures—cause a mixture of symptoms, including loss of consciousness, stiffening of the body, and repeated jerks of the arms and legs.

Not all seizures can be easily defined as either focal or generalized. Some people have seizures that begin in a small part of the brain but quickly spread to adjoining areas. Other people may have both types of seizures but with no clear pattern.

Because epilepsy is such a complex condition, diagnosis and treatment can be complicated. Effective treatment depends on an accurate diagnosis of the type of seizures a person has and on finding the right solution for each individual. For many people with epilepsy, that means finding the right medication(s) at the right dose, and it takes patience and persistence. But with the help of a doctor, more than 80% of those diagnosed with epilepsy are able to control their seizures at least some of the time.

How can I learn more about epilepsy?

Your doctor is the best source of information about epilepsy and its treatment. You may also find the following resources helpful:

Changing Faces of Epilepsy

The Changing Faces of Epilepsy is an educational and support program for people with epilepsy. Developed by Eisai Inc., the makers of Zonegran, The Changing Faces of Epilepsy examines lifestyle issues and encourages people with epilepsy to seek treatment that may help them live their life with epilepsy. Together, you and your health care provider can find a treatment option that is best for you and helps address your individual needs.

www.changingfacesofepilepsy.com

Epilepsy Foundation

The Epilepsy Foundation provides valuable information about living with epilepsy, locating local resources, finding a physician, first aid for seizures, epilepsy research, and a variety of other important topics.

www.epilepsyfoundation.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC offers downloadable brochures, guides, and newsletters for people with epilepsy and their families, statistics on epilepsy in the United States, a comprehensive list of government and non-government epilepsy resources, and educational materials for adults, teens, and children of all ages.

www.cdc.gov/Epilepsy/

Epilepsy and Seizures: Hope Through Research

This downloadable booklet is from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): The NINDS provides detailed information about the types of epilepsy and seizures, pregnancy and epilepsy, treatment options, and ongoing epilepsy research.