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Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...

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Understanding seizures and epilepsy relies on key definitions that help in recognizing, classifying, and managing these disorders. These definitions provide a framework for recognizing, classifying, and managing seizure disorders.DefinitionsA seizure is a sudden, abnormal burst of electrical activity in the brain that can cause changes in awareness, movement, sensation, or behavior, depending on the area involved. Epilepsy is a chronic condition characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures,...

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Recurrent seizures, stemming from abnormal electrical activity in the brain, are the defining characteristic of epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition. Because seizure features vary greatly, epilepsy is classified using two systems: by seizure type and by epilepsy syndromes. These classifications enable clinicians to describe seizure patterns and select suitable treatment strategies.I. Classification by Seizure Type1. Focal EpilepsyFocal epilepsy begins in one hemisphere of the brain.

Seizures ll: Types

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Electromagnetic Source Imaging in Presurgical Evaluation of Children with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

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Published on: September 20, 2024

Inverted fixation-off sensitivity in atypical benign partial epilepsy.

Joost Nicolai¹, Johan S H Vles, Vera van Tellingen

¹Department of Neurology, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. jnic@sneu.azm.nl

Pediatric Neurology

|March 25, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Fixation-off sensitivity typically causes epilepsy symptoms when vision is blocked. This study details a rare case where epilepsy symptoms were triggered by central vision, not its absence.

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A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy

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Published on: November 13, 2016

Area of Science:

Neurology
Epileptology
Clinical Neurophysiology

Background:

Fixation-off sensitivity is an electroencephalographic (EEG) phenomenon linked to specific childhood epilepsies.
It manifests as spike-and-wave discharges suppressed during central vision fixation.

Observation:

A case study of a boy with atypical benign partial epilepsy of childhood was presented.
This patient displayed unusual epileptiform activity.

Findings:

The patient's epileptiform activity was inversely related to typical fixation-off sensitivity.
Activity was suppressed by the absence of central vision and fixation.
Conversely, activity was activated by the presence of central vision and fixation.

Implications:

This case challenges the established understanding of fixation-off sensitivity in epilepsy.
It suggests a broader spectrum of visual-related EEG phenomena in childhood epilepsy.
Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying this reversed phenomenon.