Epilepsy and Seizures

• Benign rolandic epilepsy
• Childhood absence epilepsy
• Doose syndrome (myoclonic astatic epilepsy of childhood)
• Frontal lobe epilepsy
• Infantile spasms
• Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
• Landau-Kleffner syndrome
• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
• Occipital lobe epilepsy
• Parietal lobe epilepsy
• Rasmussen's syndrome
• Sturge-Weber syndrome
• Temporal lobe epilepsy
• West syndrome

• UChicago Medicine offers advanced surgical and epilepsy device treatments that are not widely available, including new options for patients not previously considered candidates for surgery.
• Our expert team has the experience to diagnose and manage nearly all epilepsy-related problems. We can pinpoint the origin of your seizures, or the “seizure focus,” and determine the best treatment plan.
• UChicago Medicine neurologists are highly experienced in determining the best medication to control seizures with minimal side effects.

Also known as petit mal seizures. When people experience an absence seizure, they may seem to disconnect from the world, blank out or stare into space for at least a few seconds. Their eyes may roll as well. People who have absence seizures usually lose awareness for a short time and have no memory of the seizure afterward. This type of seizure usually begins between the ages of 4 and 14, and it can resemble daydreaming. Subtle body movement may accompany the seizure, but it’s not the jerking movements that occur with tonic-clonic or clonic seizures.

Also known as drop attacks, drop seizures or akinetic epileptic drop attacks, may involve a sudden loss of muscle tone, a head drop or leg weakening. People suffering an atonic seizure may suddenly collapse. This type of seizure may also cause the person suffering it to drop objects.

Includes jerking muscle movements that are more rhythmic than chaotic. The muscle spasms typically affect the face, neck and arms. They may last for several minutes.

Are typically short and involve uncontrollable jerking, usually of the arms and/or legs, and last for only a second or two.

Also known as grand mal seizures, are what most people think of when they imagine a seizure. They involve a loss of consciousness, stiffening of the body and shaking or jerking, sometimes followed by loss of bladder or bowel control

Includes body stiffening, but does not include the clonic phase of uncontrolled jerking or spasms. Back, arm and leg muscles are affected most often. The seizure may cause a patient to fall or collapse.

(Also known as simple focal seizures) may only include the aura stage (see below). During this type of seizure, awareness, memory and consciousness remain intact. This type of seizure may alter emotions or change the way things look, smell, feel, taste or sound. It may also result in involuntary jerking of a body part, such as an arm or leg, or spontaneous sensory symptoms, such as tingling, dizziness and flashing lights.

(Also known as psychomotor seizures) alter consciousness or responsiveness. The person having the seizure may appear to be staring into space or moving without purpose. Some common movements include hand rubbing, chewing, swallowing, and repetitive motion, such as bicycling leg movements or walking in a circle.

For some types of seizures, an aura happens before a seizure and may alert a person that a seizure may occur. Auras typically begin seconds before the seizure.

The symptoms that accompany an aura can vary depending on the type of seizure and the area of the brain affected. Some symptoms of aura include:

• Abnormal sensations
• Deja vu (familiar feelings) or jamais vu (unfamiliar feelings)
• Distorted emotions, such as panic or fear
• Forced thinking
• Nausea
• Perceived sounds, tastes, or smells (some people report smelling burning rubber, for example)
• Physical sensations, like dizziness, headache, numbness, and lightheadedness
• Unusual feelings

Ictus is another word for the seizure itself — the part of the seizure that outsiders can witness. It can be convulsive, commonly called “grand mal,” or non-convulsive, such as staring and inability to respond normally.

The postictal stage occurs after the ictus or active stage of the seizure. During the postictal stage, the body begins to relax and aftereffects may set in. The type and length of aftereffects will vary from person to person and may include:

• Confusion and agitation
• Fatigue and drowsiness
• Headache
• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness
• Numbness
• Partial paralysis