Epilepsey and the Brain
Author: Allison Wong
Imagine running through the woods and suddenly feel jittery, hungry like you’ve never been, and nervous. These are a few of the things that happen during a hypoglycemic episode, however, it can often be confused with epilepsy.
What is Epilepsy?
So, what is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that anyone can develop non-dependent on their race, sex, age, or ethnic background. People with epilepsy have occurrences of abnormal brain activity- the abnormal brain activity can cause seizures, temporary confusion, a staring spell, uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs, loss of consciousness or awareness, and psychic symptoms such as fear, anxiety, or deja vu.
What are the symptoms of Epilepsy?
However, the symptoms are different for different types of seizures. The three types of seizures people with epilepsy experience are focal and generalized seizures.
Focal seizures are a result of abnormal brain activity from only one area of your brain. Focal seizures paired with a loss of consciousness were once called partial seizures. This seizure can cause altered emotions and the way things look, feel, smell, taste, or sound. Focal seizures with loss of consciousness can result in uncontrollable jerking movements of a body part, a tingling feeling, dizziness, and flashing lights.
Another type of focal seizure would be one with impaired awareness- also known as complex partial seizures. A complex partial seizure can cause you to stare into space and not respond normally to your environment or performing repetitive movements. Moreover, these seizures last for one to two minutes and they also are “60 percent of all epileptic seizures”(healthline.com).
Generalized seizures are a result of abnormal brain activity in all areas of the brain, there are six types of generalized seizures.
Absence seizures often occur in children- the seizure can cause the children to stare into space or having subtle body movements that include eye blinking or lip-smacking. These seizures can result in a brief loss of awareness and may occur in clusters. Tonic seizures cause the stiffening of your back, arm, and leg muscles, which can cause you to fall to the ground. Like tonic seizures, atonic seizures can also cause you to fall to the ground without warning, however, when experiencing an atonic seizure, your muscles become floppy and relaxed rather than stiff. Clonic seizures are characterized by repeated or rhythmic, jerking of the neck, face, and arm muscle movements. While clonic seizures usually last for a longer period of time, myoclonic seizures usually are short and brief jerking in body parts- such as the arms and legs. The last generalized seizure is a tonic-clonic seizure, this seizure was previously known as grand mal seizures. These seizures can cause body stiffening or shaking, an unexpected loss of consciousness, and sometimes the biting of your tongue or loss of bladder control.
Possible factors link to epilepsy & treatment
While there has been no noticeable cause in many people with this condition, for some people with epilepsy, the condition can be linked to various factors such as genetic influence, prenatal injury, age, and developmental disorders. Although these are all the factors that can be linked to epilepsy the most common causes are brain infections such as meningitis, AIDS, and viral encephalitis, vascular conditions such as a stroke, head traumas from sports accidents, and brain tumor that can cause abnormal behavior in the brain leading to seizures. However, with treatment, it has been known that 70% of people with epilepsy have seen a decrease in symptoms. Treatment can also result in mood changes, which can lead to depression or anxiety- but these side effects don’t always happen.
Difficulties of having Epilepsy
People with epilepsy will have difficulties doing things they normally wouldn’t give too much thought about due to the seizures they experience. Driving with epilepsy can be difficult because “one immediate effect of having a seizure is that you have to stop driving”(epilepsysociety.org). While enjoying yourself and having leisure time is important when having epilepsy, you would need to be more cautious about how your seizures may affect activities you do during your leisure time- having someone who knows how to help you when your seizures happen are also one small change that won’t widely affect some activities you like to do. In addition, people who have epilepsy may choose to attend university or college. While epilepsy can impact learning and university life, there are many things you can do or learn to help relieve and reduce seizures such as understanding your epilepsy, how you feel you work best and learn best, and the cause and impact of your seizures.
Accommodations for epilepsy
Epilepsy should not stop your life. You may have to do more things and be more cautious, but that shouldn’t keep you from living your life to the fullest. The uncontrollable seizures and psychological issues can certainly be relieved and reduced with the right treatment plan. Therefore, with treatment and some small altercations in your life epilepsy should not have a hold on your life.
Links:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/epilepsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20350093
https://www.healthline.com/health/epilepsy/facts-statistics-infographic#Types
https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/living-epilepsy/wellbeing/links-between-epilepsy-and-mood
https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/living-epilepsy
Image links:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/thmb/YuIQWtlwdM0uVeR-Zld4rU-kLC8=/1500x1000/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/seizures-as-a-symptom-of-multiple-sclerosis-2440813-2cafbb9630cd4c65bfa0a9bd08c3fb2f.gif
https://www.holycrosshealth.org/assets/images/blog/epilepsy_blog2.jpg
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