Epilepsy - Introduction

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Absence (Petit Mal) Seizures. Absence or petit mal seizures are brief losses of consciousness that occur for 3 - 30 seconds. Physical activity and loss of attention may pause for only a moment. Such seizures may pass unnoticed by others. Young children may simply appear to be staring or walking distractedly. Petit mal may be confused with simple or complex partial seizures, or even with attention deficit disorder. [For more information, see In-Depth Report #30: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.] In petit mal, however, a person may experience attacks as often as 50 - 100 times a day.

Myoclonic. Myoclonic seizures are a series of brief jerky contractions of specific muscle groups, such as the face or trunk.

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Atonic (Akinetic) Seizures. A person who has an atonic (or akinetic) seizure loses muscle tone. Sometimes it may affect only one part of the body so that, for instance, the jaw slackens and the head drops. At other times, the whole body may lose muscle tone, and the person can suddenly fall. A brief atonic episode is known as a drop attack.

Simply Tonic or Clonic Seizures. Seizures can also be simply tonic or clonic. In tonic seizures, the muscles contract and consciousness is altered for about 10 seconds, but the seizures do not progress to the clonic or jerking phase. Clonic seizures, which are very rare, occur primarily in young children, who experience spasms of the muscles but not tonic rigidity.

Click the icon to see a depiction of a tonic-clonic seizure.

Epilepsy Syndromes

Epilepsy is also grouped according to a set of common characteristics, including:

• Patient age
• Type of seizure or seizures
• Behavior during seizure
• Results of EEG recordings
• Whether a cause is known or not known (idiopathic)

A few syndromes and inherited epilepsies are listed discussed below; they do not represent all epilepsies.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Temporal lobe epilepsy is a form of partial (focal) epilepsy, although generalized tonic clonic seizures may occur with it.

Frontal Lobe Epilepsy. Frontal lobe epilepsy is characterized by sudden violent seizures. Seizures may also produce loss of muscle function, including the ability to talk. In autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, a rare inherited form, seizures often occur during sleep.