epilepsy

Question 1

Epilepsy

Answer 1

tendency to have seizures in the absence of provocations that would cause the normal brain to have a seizure.

Question 2

primary generalized seizure

Answer 2

a seizure that involves the entire brain at the same time. Consciousness is necessarily lost.

Question 3

complex partial

Answer 3

a seizure of focal onset that involves areas that impair consciousness. The patient often appears dazed or confused and remembers only a part of the seizure (if at all).

Question 4

myoclonic seizure

Answer 4

a brief generalized seizure that may be so brief as to produce a motor jerk (myoclonus) but no actual loss of consciousness.

Question 5

petit mal seizure

Answer 5

a brief generalized seizure that interrupts consciousness but which does not result in motor symptoms (outside of, possibly, some eyelid fluttering). It may happen hundreds of times a day.

Question 6

simple partial seizure

Answer 6

a seizure from portions of the cerebral cortex having very specific functions (i.e., motor, sensory, visual, olfactory, auditory), such that the auras are easily explained.

Question 7

focal seizure

Answer 7

another name for a partial seizure. It arises from a specific seizure focus in the cerebral cortex. This may be a scar or an irritated area around a tumor or other cortical lesion.

Question 8

secondary generalized

Answer 8

is the spread of a focal seizure to involve the entire brain.

Question 9

status epilepticus

Answer 9

a medical emergency that consists of continuous or recurrent seizures over at least 30 minutes without waking up in between.

Question 10

postictal period

Answer 10

a period of cortical depression following a seizure

Question 11

interictal

Answer 11

the period between seizures

Question 12

todd’s paralysis

Answer 12

a period of focal weakness after a seizure due to a prolonged postictal period in a region of cerebral cortex. This may give clues to the side and location of a seizure focus.

Question 13

hippocampal sclerosis

Answer 13

scarring of the hippocampus. This is a common cause of temporal lobe epilepsy and occurs early in life. It is often associated with prolonged febrile convulsions in early childhood.

Question 14

temporal lobe epilepsy

Answer 14

indicates an epilepsy with a seizure focus in the temporal lobe.

Question 15

seizure focus

Answer 15

area of abnormal electrical excitability in the cerebral cortex.

Question 16

prmary generalized seizures do not have

Answer 16

auras

Question 17

geeralzied tonic-clonic seizures result in

Answer 17

autonomic upset (large pupils ,hyperthermia, tachycardia, salivation, emptying of bladder)

Question 18

petit mal & post ictal period

Answer 18

they have none

Question 19

status epilepticus

Answer 19

medical emergency-consists of continuous or recurrent seizures of 30 mins w/o waking up in between

Question 20

status epilepticus often due to

Answer 20

sedative withdrawal

Question 21

EEGs and seizure

Answer 21

2/3s of patents have abnormal activty even when not having seizure

Question 22

motor cortex seizure

Answer 22

Jacksonian (partal simple)

Question 23

complex partial are

Answer 23

limbic seizure

Question 24

later childhood–>adolescence main type of seizures

Answer 24

temporal lobe epilepsy

juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Question 25

very young children main types of seizures

Answer 25

petit mal

metabolic defect/congenital malformations

Question 26

triggers for grand mal seizures

Answer 26

outside of CC

• reticular formation of brainstem
• thalamus

Question 27

clonic and post ictal phase

Answer 27

results from massive activation of inhibitory neurons in brain

Question 28

what simultaneously occurs durng colonic and post ictal phase?

Answer 28

autonomci overload

Question 29

two ways determined between grand mal and secondary generalized

Answer 29

secondary generalized has

• aura before hand
• repetitive movements (blinking, twtching lip smacking) beforehand

Question 30

JME is due to a

Answer 30

mutated GABA R

Question 31

petit mal seizures generally originate from

Answer 31

upper brainstem

Question 32

todd paralysis occurs if

Answer 32

motor cortex is involved

Question 33

how do secondary generalized seizures spread

Answer 33

via corpus callosum and/or reticular formation

Question 34

secondary generalized seizures can be

Answer 34

tonic
tonic-clonic
clonic

Question 35

jacksonian march

Answer 35

upper extremity–>face–>trunk–> lower limb

Question 36

foci in primary visual cortex results in

Answer 36

uniformed flashes, spots, and zig-zags of light

Question 37

foci in visual association cortex

Answer 37

hallucinations such as floating balloons, stars, polygons

Question 38

more anterior in visual association area (posterior temporal or parietal lobes)

Answer 38

more complex sensory hallucinations (people talking, etc)

Question 39

seizure near uncus of rostral medial temporal lobe

Answer 39

hallucinations of smell and taste

Question 40

why don’t cortical seizures generalize

Answer 40

collateral inhibition present in normal brain to prevent excessive excitation

Question 41

eplepsia partialis continua

Answer 41

less life threatening due to focal neuronal damage, but tendency to generalize into Major Motor Status Epilepticus, so important to terminate