Epilepsy Drug Therapies

Psychiatrists observed that after spontaneous epileptic seizure the psychiatric conditions of patients improved. Previously, in the sixteenth-century, Paracelsus, a Swiss physician and alchemist gave camphor by mouth to produce convulsions and to cure lunacy. Originally, the induced convulsions treated severe catatonic stupors and schizophrenia. Today we know the convulsions are secondary to grand mal seizures in the brain, and that the seizure is the primary therapeutic agent of electroconvuslive therapy (ECT). Metrazol and Cardiazol later replaced Camphor because of its rapid onset. The extremely

Hippocrates main concepts are derived from the fact that this disease originates from a natural cause. He states , "Men regard its nature and cause as divine from ignorance and wonder...this notion of divinity is kept up by their inability to comprehend it (33-35)." It was this 'sacred disease' of epilepsy that people used to connect with divine interference. Divine stimulation was never in form of a sickness or disease. These people were under the idea that sickness was not a sole presence, but rather an ailment that affects the human body and is sent by divinities. Therefore people did little to treat the affected, but rather tried to appease the so-called divine powers that sent the disease. In fact, the epileptic attacks were often referred to different gods depending on the symptoms such as Poseidon, Ares, Apollo, and Hecate.

Epilepsy is one of the longest disorders that have been around. Dr. John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911) was the first person to provide an acceptable classification of seizures to the medical community. Seizures can be classified as a generalized seizure or as a partial seizure. Generalized seizures involve both hemispheres of the brain. It can

Seizure disorders, according to the Mayo Clinic (2015), affect approximately 1 in 26 people in the United States. Persistent, or chronic, seizures result from a condition called epilepsy, a neurological disorder of the central nervous system. It can affect anyone regardless of age, but is more common during early childhood and after age 60. Given the number of people that seizure disorders, such as epilepsy, affect, it becomes helpful to gain a foundational understanding of the disease, including some of the causes, symptoms, and treatments available.

One again epilepsy took on religious implications throughout the middle ages and renaissance period similar to the Greeks, although, a difference in opinion between the commoners and the nobles were present. The church and the nobles were convinced that epilepsy was not a disease rather a sign of prophetic powers and great intelligence. As for the commoners, they viewed it as a terrible illness and sought a cure through contact with holy relics. The enlightenment started to change the way people view epilepsy. It was once again believed to be a natural disease, and this theory was accepted globally. However, it was also believed to be a form of insanity and contagious resulting in epileptics being confined in a mental hospital away from other

This paper is on epilepsy and seizures. The human brain is the source of all human epilepsy. (Steven C. Schachter, Patricia O. Shafer, Joseph I. Sirven, 2013) What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is sometimes referred to a seizure disorder, though not all seizures are related to epilepsy. According to the website Stony Brook Medicine, the reason a seizure occurs is because of an unexpected surge of electrical activity in the brain. (Stony Brook Medicine, 2014) Due to the overloading of electrical activity, it causes short-lived disturbance in the messaging system between the brain cells. The word epilepsy approaches from a Greek word 'epi' signifying 'upon or above' and the Greek word

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.

There are many people around the world that has epilepsy. Likewise, epilepsy is marked by recurrent seizures, which are sub-categorized based on the symptoms it produces. Some types of seizures can be detected and controlled, while other types cannot due to the limitations of current innovations. Taken together, the research indicates that it is apparent that people living with epilepsy will need a new or better innovation that provides them a positive impact on their quality of life by further investing into inventing one. Basing off of previous ideologies from past and current innovations, a new invention can become a reality through multiple trials and errors. This can be seen through over the years of the development of technology and neurological fields as well as the study of seizures and epilepsy. Possibly one day, as technology advances and the knowledge increases, there will be an innovation that can cure

Thank to my undergraduate education in biology at the Complutense University of Madrid, I gained a solid background in cell and molecular biology, biomedicine and neurobiology. My interest in the study of the functioning of the brain and, at the same time, my concern for the relative lack of knowledge of major neurological disorders such as epilepsy prompted me to extend my academic training in neurosciences at the VU University Amsterdam, where I benefited of a highly international and intellectually challenging environment. Due to my participation in numerous seminars, journal clubs and poster markets, I have developed a strong

The topic to be researched is epilepsy. Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder where the brain is prone to seizures. Seizures are caused by neurones in the brain receiving too much electrical activity. Recurring seizures are the only visible symptom of epilepsy. Epilepsy has 2 main types of seizures – generalised and partial. The type of seizure will depend on the brain area affected. Epilepsy is most commonly diagnosed during childhood – under the age of 15, and also during later stages of life – over the age of 65. Genetics can also play a part in some types of epilepsy, such as Lafora Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy and Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. As epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system it can affect the body in different

People uneducated about Epilepsy may have confused thoughts on what it really is. People have these "notions," which are partly or entirely not true. So, throughout this research paper, these notions will be proven untrue, mostly by factual information given by

One of the earliest descriptions of a secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizure was recorded over 3000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Epileptic seizures were described in ancient cultures, including those of China, Egypt, and India. An ancient Egyptian papyrus described a seizure in a man who had previous head trauma. Hippocrates wrote the first book about epilepsy almost 2500 years ago. He rejected ideas regarding the divine etiology of epilepsy and concluded that the cause was excessive phlegm that caused abnormal brain consistency.11 English neurologists--John Hughlings Jackson, defines a seizure as "an occasional, an excessive, and a disorderly discharge of nerve tissue on muscles." He also recognizes that seizures can alter consciousness,

Epilepsy is a general term for any brain disorder that causes unpredictable regular seizures. These seizures as caused by a disturbance in the brain’s electrical activity. It is considered a chronic neurological disorder, the fourth most common in the world. There were around 3.4 million people reported as having epilepsy in the United States in 2015 with 470,000 of those being children (CDC, 2017). This is about 1.2% of the population in the United States (CDC, 2017). There are about 50 million people who experience epilepsy globally (WHO, 2017). In the District of Columbia there are about 7,500 cases of active epilepsy. It’s estimated that 2.4 million people per year are diagnosed with epilepsy globally (WHO, 2017).

The individual may appear to be in a trance and moves randomly with no control over body movements. The individual's activity does not cease during the seizure, but behavior is random and totally unrelated to the individual's surroundings. This form of seizure may be preceded by an aura (a warning sensation characterized by feelings of fear, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, or strange odors and sensations).

Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has two or more seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. Epilepsy is one of the oldest conditions of the human race. Epilepsy Awareness is important because Epilepsy is a widely misunderstood disorder. The reason that Epilepsy has been misunderstood has been mainly due to research not being conducted until the middle of the nineteenth century. There are six main types of seizures and many treatments that can assist an epileptic patient. Many facts and myths exist about a person who has Epilepsy, which, is why it is an important disorder to understand. A person living with Epilepsy can typically have a normal life after seeking medical advice from doctors.