Epilepsy Research Paper

Epilepsy Research Paper

People most often associate violent twitching, falling to the floor

and drooling with epilepsy. However the described event is only one

kind of an epileptic seizure, which is called a tonic-clonic seizure.

There are many other kinds of seizures, and each has different sets of

signs and symptoms.

During generalized seizures the whole brain is affected and the

initial symptom is loss of consciousness. This category includes such

seizures as absence seizure, myoclonic seizure, and atonic attack.

Those seizures affect the whole body and brain of the patient, and are

much more serious than partial or focal seizure, which only affects

one muscle or one part of the body, and not accompanied by loss of

consciousness.

Epilepsy occurs when nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses

at a rate of up to four times higher than normal. This causes a sort

of electrical storm in the brain, known as a seizure. During a seizure

the normal neuronal activity, which is usually responsible for human

thoughts, feelings, and actions of glands and muscles, becomes

disturbed and as a result strange behavior, convulsions and loss of

consciousness might occur.

Epilepsy knows no geographical, racial or social boundaries. It occurs

in men and women and can begin at any age, but is most frequently

diagnosed in childhood or old age. Anyone can be affected by seizures.

In fact, up to 5% of the world's population may have a single seizure

at some time in their lives, but a person might be diagnosed with

epilepsy only after they had two unprovoked seizures. From many

studies around the world it has been estimated that the m...

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...mpted to move, chair should be put

in supine position, everything should be out of the way and passive

restraint should be used to prevent patient from hitting anything or

falling out of the chair. Emergency assistance should be summoned

right away.

Epilepsy is not contagious and is not caused by mental illness or

mental retardation. Many people with epilepsy have normal or

above-average intelligence. Famous people who are known or rumored to

have had epilepsy include the Russian writer Dostoyevsky, the

philosopher Socrates, the military general Napoleon, and the inventor

of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, who established the Nobel prize. Many

people with epilepsy lead productive lives. Many medical and research

advances in the past two decades have led to a better understanding of

epilepsy and seizures than ever before.