Epilepsy Flashcards
What are causes of epilepsy?
Traumatic brain injury
CNS infection
Brain tumours
Stroke
What are other factors associated to epilepsy?
Alzheimer’s
Prenatal injuries when existing neurological handicap
Family history
What lobes are affected and what are the symptoms?
Temporal lobe- memory loss, affected speech production, smacking lips, picking at clothes
Focal seizures mostly arise from temporal lobe
What are clinical features of epilepsy?
Abnormal taste, smell, touch
Deja Vu/ Jamais Vu
Abdominal pain
What is a focal seizure?
Characterised by local brain activity which leads to symptoms that typically seize 1 side of body or 1 specific body part
What 6 drugs can be used to treat epilepsy?
- diazepam
- lamotrigine
- pregabaline
- levetiracetam
- tiagabine
- vigabritin
How does diazepam work?
Target: GABAa receptor
Action: increases GABA activation of receptor. Causes Cl- influx, makes it harder to produce AP
How does lamotrigine work?
Target: VGSC
Action: blocks channel in glutaminergic neurones- less NT release
How does pregabaline work?
Target: VGCaC
Action: blocks channel in glutaminergic neurones- less NT release
How does levetiracetam work?
Target: synaptic vesicle protein SV2A
Action: interferes with vesicle fusion - less exocytosis of glutamate
How does tiagabine work?
Target: GABA reuptake transporter
Action: prevents GABA from leaving synapse- binds to GABA receptor for longer so increased Cl- influx
How does vigabritin work?
Target: GABA transaminase enzyme
Action: blocks enzyme. GABA not broken down well in presynaptic terminal so GABA build up. Reuptake slows down. GABA remains in synapse longer