CNS Class 13 - Epilepsy Flashcards
________ is one of the most common CNS disorders and about 1 in 100 North Americans have it.
Epilepsy
T/F - Carelessly applied manual techniques and hydrotherapy applications can destabilize control mechanisms in the patient’s brain and precipitate seizures.
True
Massage therapy can be very __________ for the epileptic patient, by providing relaxation, reduction of pain/physical ______ and rehabilitation of injuries.
Beneficial
Stress
In epilepsy, there is an underlying ___________ inside the brain which can be activated by various _______ to produce seizure activity.
Dysfunction
Stimuli
T/F - The elements of massage therapy have no potential to act as seizure triggers for patients.
False - SOME OF the elements of massage therapy have THE potential to act as seizure triggers for CERTAIN patients.
In order to provide therapy which is both safe and _________, the massage therapist must understand how to:
- Obtain necessary case history information
- Determine when not to treat
- Adapt treatment/treatment environment
- Adjust treatment plan based on prescribed medications
- Respond when seizures occur
Effective
A neurological condition of various etiologies, which affects the CNS and results in recurrent spontaneous seizures.
Epilepsy
T/F - Virtually every brain can be induced to seizure with sufficient electrical, chemical or mechanical stimulation.
True
__ to ___% of the population will have a seizure at some point in their lifetime.
7-10%
Please select whether the individual WOULD or WOULD NOT be considered epileptic based on the following of situations where seizures can occur:
- High fever
- Drug/hormone reactions
- Intense sleep deprivation
- Nutritional deprivation
- Electroshock therapy
WOULD NOT
T/F - Epilepsy is diagnosed if the patient has 3 provoked seizures or 1 unprovoked seizure with a high risk of more, such as within damaged, diseased or vulnerable brain tissue without apparent cause.
False - Epilepsy is diagnosed if the patient has 2 UNPROVOKED seizures or 1 unprovoked seizure with a high risk of more.
A seizure in response to stimuli that would not produce seizing in the non-epileptic brain.
Unprovoked Seizure
A sudden onset, self-limiting episode of physical and/or psychological dysfunction as a result of an abnormal burst of firing in the CNS.
Seizure
The seizure one observes is the manifestation of an eruption of neuronal _________ in the brain.
Discharge
T/F - The symptoms of a seizure are gradual and permanent phenomena that can be motor, sensory, autonomic and/or psychological.
False - The symptoms of a seizure are SUDDEN and TRANSITORY phenomena that can be motor, sensory, autonomic and/or psychological.
The symptoms of a seizure indicate which part(s) of the _____ have been activated, and occur in a ___________ pattern.
Brain
Stereotyped
The abnormal impulse contributing to a seizure may arise from anywhere within the ________ cortex or the deeper brain centres. It may remain _________ to its site of origin or travel extensively through the brain.
Cerebral
Localized
Seizures are ____-________ because of intrinsic inhibitory mechanisms within the CNS, and also because _________ wastes accumulate which alter the conditions for neuronal firing.
Self-Limiting
Metabolic
Another term for seizure activity in the brain that is frequently used in medical literature about epilepsy.
Ictus
What is the adjective for ictus?
Ictal
A specific location in the brain tissue which is a site of origin of spontaneous depolarization or which acts as an irritant to nearby neurons, causing them to fire abnormally. The resulting burst of firing initiates an aberrant depolarization wave that spreads outward from the focal origin.
Irritable/Epileptogenic Focus
T/F - A gliosis, aneurysm or tumour can be contained within an irritable focus.
True
T/F - The presence of one or more irritable foci is a rare finding in the brains of patients with epilepsy.
False - The presence of one or more irritable foci is a COMMON finding in the brains of patients with epilepsy.
A sensory hallucination that can be present in people with epilepsy. People often find it hard to describe and everyone has a different experience.
Aura
What is an aura classified as in people with epilepsy?
Focal Onset Aware Seizure
Focal aware seizures (FAS) are sometimes called “________” or “auras” because for some people, a FAS develops into another type of seizure.
“Warnings”
T/F - Individuals who experience auroras usually have one or two that are characteristic for them.
True
Common ____ seizure symptoms affect/include the following:
- Visual
- Smell (e.g. unpleasant rotten egg smell)
- Taste (e.g odd metal, bitter or salty taste)
- Sounds (e.g. odd ringing/buzzing noise, some people hear songs)
- Feelings
- Deja vu
- Body
Aura
Common ______ aura seizure symptoms include:
- Flashing lights
- Blurred vision
- Some loss of sight
- Seeing things which are not actually there
Visual
Common aura seizure symptoms related to ________ include:
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea/sickness
- Rising feeling in stomach
- Strong emotions (e.g. sadness, joy, panic or fear/doom)
Feelings
Common aura seizure symptoms related to the ____ include:
- Stiffness/twitching
- Numbness/tinging
- Sensation that an arm/leg feels bigger/smaller than it actually is
Body
Epileptic seizures are occasional __________ expressions of an ongoing brain disorder.
Paraoxysmal
A stimulus, usually sensory, which produces activity in the abnormal brain area, and is therefore capable of pushing the neuronal tissue beyond its ictal thershold.
Trigger
T/F - Few seizures are precipitated by exposure to a trigger.
False - MOST seizures are precipitated by exposure to a trigger.
T/F - Some epileptic individuals have one or more clearly identified triggers, while others are more confusing in their responses.
True
Some common seizure ________ include:
- Specific time of day/night
- Sleep deprivation
- Illness both with/without fever
- Flashing bright lights/patterns
- Alcohol use/withdrawal
- Drug use/withdrawal
- Stress
- Menstrual cycle/hormonal changes
- Malnutrition, dehydration, low blood sugar, poor eating habits
- Specific foods/excess caffeine
- Use of certain medications
- Missed medications
Triggers
Sometimes the seizures are a response to stimuli which initiate complex sensory ____________ functions (e.g. reading, listening to music).
Interpretive
T/F - Epilepsies do not occur in response to firing from muscle and joint receptors.
False - SOME epilepsies OCCUR in response to firing from muscle and joint receptors.
