B7.053 Prework 1: Seizures and Epilepsy Flashcards
convulsions
involuntary synchronous movement of the limbs
-stiffening: tonic
-semi-rhythmic movements: clonic
often associated with loss of consciousness
syncope
loss of consciousness with loss of postural muscle tone (falling)
often associated with brief convulsions
spontaneous recovery
cause of syncope
usually caused by transient hypotension
signs that favor syncope over seizure
syncope associated event: -prolonged standing -Valsalva -pain, blood presyncope symptoms (tunnel vision)
signs that favor seizure over syncope
focal onset (e.g. head turning at onset) tongue biting prolonged unconsciousness postictal confusion incontinence
seizure
clinical manifestations of abnormal synchronous discharge of cerebral cortical neurons
often manifested by convulsions
types of focal onset (partial) seizures
- with retained awareness
- with impaired awareness
- focal to bilateral tonic-clonic
what is another name to focal to bilateral tonic clonic seizures
secondary generalized
why can hypoglycemia lead to seizures
neurons depolarize due to decreased energy generation
types of generalized onset seizures
motor -tonic-clonic -myoclonic -other nonmotor (absence)
epilepsy
intrinsic tendency of the brain to have seizures
2 or more unprovoked seizures
features of focal epilepsies
localization related
- focal onset seizures
- localized EEG abnormalities
- usually acquired (something happened to a portion of the brain)
- cryptogenic vs non-cryptogenic
common locations of focal epilepsies
- temporal lobe
- mesial temporal sclerosis - frontal lobe
- supplementary motor - parietal lobe
- occipital lobe
etiologies of focal epilepsies
a structural lesion most often cryptogenic common visible lesions -post traumatic scarring -tumor -old stroke
features of generalized epilepsies
non localization related
- generalized onset seizures
- bilateral symmetric EEG abnormalities
- often genetic
