Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Do occasional brief seizures cause detectable clinical consequences?

Shlomo Shinnar1, W Allen Hauser

  • 1Comprehensive Epilepsy Management Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467, USA. sshinnar@aol.com

Progress in Brain Research
|July 30, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reader Response: Seizures and Epilepsy in Association With Neurocysticercosis: a Nosologic Proposal.

Neurology·2026
Same author

Identification of abnormal patterns of evolution of neurocysticercosis cysts and what they might indicate.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025
Same author

Febrile status epilepticus and epileptogenesis: The FEBSTAT study.

Epilepsia open·2025
Same author

Use of Antiseizure Medications Early in Pregnancy and the Risk of Major Malformations in the Newborn.

Neurology·2025
Same author

Impact of albendazole treatment on the symptom profile of neurocysticercosis patients 14-16 years following diagnosis.

Parasitology·2025
Same author

How patient, infection and cysticercus characteristics impact the evolution of <i>Taenia solium</i> larva in the human brain: A unique cyst-level analysis.

Parasitology·2025
Same journal

Preface.

Progress in brain research·2025
Same journal

Mindfulness and meditation: Promoting emotional and cognitive health.

Progress in brain research·2025
Same journal

Cognitive stimulation enhancing memory and mental function.

Progress in brain research·2025
Same journal

The science behind non-pharmacological interventions.

Progress in brain research·2025
Same journal

Technology-assisted interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Progress in brain research·2025
Same journal

Ethical consideration in non-pharmacological treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Progress in brain research·2025
See all related articles

Isolated, brief seizures generally do not cause long-term harm. Current evidence does not support early treatment after a first seizure to improve long-term outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Epidemiology
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Prolonged or frequent seizures are linked to adverse outcomes.
  • Limited epidemiological and animal data suggest brief, isolated seizures may not cause harm.
  • Existing research often focuses on prolonged or frequent seizure activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term effects of isolated, brief seizures.
  • To determine if early treatment after a first seizure impacts long-term prognosis.
  • To assess the risk-benefit ratio of initiating antiepileptic drug treatment after a first seizure.

Main Methods:

  • Review of epidemiological data on seizure frequency and duration.
  • Analysis of studies on febrile seizures and acute symptomatic seizures.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of data on first unprovoked seizures and newly diagnosed epilepsy.
  • Consideration of outcomes in specific epilepsy syndromes.

    • Main Results:

    • Febrile seizures < 10 minutes and acute symptomatic seizures do not increase epilepsy risk.
    • Seizure duration does not affect recurrence risk after a first unprovoked seizure.
    • Early treatment reduces recurrence but does not alter long-term prognosis; number of seizures before therapy doesn't impact prognosis in newly diagnosed epilepsy.
    • Adverse outcomes in some epilepsy syndromes are linked to the syndrome itself and interictal activity, not seizures per se.

    Conclusions:

    • Epidemiological data do not support treating the first seizure to influence long-term prognosis.
    • The risks associated with antiepileptic drugs must be weighed against the lack of proven long-term benefit from early treatment.
    • Focus should be on managing specific epilepsy syndromes rather than solely on seizure frequency or duration after the first event.