Essay On Pathophysiology Of Epilepsy

Seizure are uncontrolled or sudden abnormal electrical activity in the brain which causes abnormal motor and sensory activity and where the patient becomes unconsciousness. It is caused by the depolarization of the neurons. Any changes that takes place in our body that may be internal or external it can easily stimulate the irritable neurons. Seizure last for a second or a minute, in which the neurons stops unexpectedly. The pattern of electrical activity or brain waves during a seizure can be seen in EEG, by knowing what type of seizure. There are different

The constant firing of neurons in the brain during normal everyday actions is called electrical brain activity. Seizures are changes in the brain's electrical activity, which can "cause dramatic, noticeable symptoms or even no symptoms at all (healthline.com)." During a seizure, nerve cells leave their regular positions where they delivered orders from the brain to other parts of the body. The neurons fire in

Epilepsy is characterized as a brain disorder in which you have a tendency to trigger seizures. It occurs when there is a abnormal or excessive amount of electrical activity in the brain, and is usually diagnosed after a person has two or more seizures that are not caused by medical conditions. Epilepsy is very common in society today. 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime and 65 million people already have epilepsy worldwide. After any type of epileptic seizure episodes of sensory disturbances, loss of consciousness, convulsions, and many other symptoms can spark.

Epilepsy is classified as a chronic neurological disorder characterized by repetitive seizures. Recurring seizures are caused by disruptions in the brain's nerve cell activity. These disruptions can result in seizures, odd behavior, strange sensations, and in some cases blackouts or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy covers a large spectrum of brain disorders that range from benign and minor to severe and life-threatening or disabling.

Over 65 million people in the world today suffer from some form of epilepsy. This condition, consisting of a set of neurological illnesses that create seizures, has never been fully cured or even understood through the course of modern medical history. The root cause of epilepsy largely remains a mystery even today but a handful of scientific breakthroughs in recent decades have allowed for the millions of individuals who suffer from this condition to find some relief. The abnormal nerve cell activity occurring in the cortex that leads to the seizures that represent epilepsy has not been harnessed and controlled but it now can be manipulated and mitigated through a combination of different treatments and practices. Through a concise review

Epilepsy is one of the most popular neurological diseases, affecting up to 1% of the adult and 2% of the paediatric populations. An epileptic seizure is the result of some functional disorders occurring in the brain and is formed as a result of an abnormal, excessive electrical discharge in nerve cells. The cause of a seizure is a sudden imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory processes in the neural network.

Epilepsy is a neurological infirmity that involves repeated, involuntary seizure activity [1]. The seizures are produced by the sudden burst of hyperactivity in the brain, causing strange sensations, body stiffening, loss of memory or behaviour, jerking of arms and legs etc. More than 2% of the population are affected by epilepsy. The seizure symptoms may differ from one person to another and can be triggered by various factors which include brain injury or brain tumour, alcohol or drug effects, genetic disorders and infections. Quick diagnosis and early treatment is essential to avoid any dangerous and life threatening situations [2].

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system and may also be referred to as seizure disorder. A person may be diagnosed with epilepsy or seizure disorder after having two or more seizures with no related medical condition (epilepsy.com, 2014). According to Dr. Dimitri P. Agamanolis, seizures arise from a neurotransmitter dysfunction causing interference between the electrical activity and the brain. Approximately 25% of seizures are a result of genetic inherited abnormalities. Another 25% of documented seizures arise from structural lesions including; brain tumors, brain trauma, infections and perinatal brain lesions. All of these presentations stem from environmental influences and not congenital in nature.

Glial cells deliver neuroactive molecules and adjust synaptic transmission through modifications in ion channels, gap junctions, receptors, and transporters (4). Shape and function of glial cells change considerably in various kinds of epilepsy. Dysregulation of water and ion channel expression, variations in secretion of neuroactive molecules, and increased activation of inflammatory pathways as well as reactive gliosis Morphologic changes include (4). It has been suggested that epilepsy has an astrocytic origin (8). Prolonged neuronal depolarization and epileptiform discharges are resulted from direct stimulation of astrocytes (9) .

Epilepsy is a disorder caused by reoccurring seizures. This occurs because of excessive firing of the neurons and fast spread of these impulses over the brain. There are two pathophysiology phenomenon of a seizure: Hyper-excitability of a neuron and hyper synchronization (Prayson, & Jordan, 2015). Hyper synchronization is the hyper-excitable neuron that leads to increased excitability of a large surrounding area of neurons. Basically, a large electrical impulse is generated in one part of the brain from this excessive firing in the neurons. Seizure is defined as an “involuntary alteration of behavior with or without loss of consciousness accompanied by an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain” (Offringa, & Moyer, 2011). The key part of

Pathophysiology of epilepsy- Epileptic seizures arise from an excessively synchronous and sustained discharge of group of neurons [9].Abnormal cellular discharges may be associated with various causative factors such as trauma, oxygen deprivation, tumors, infections. Although different types of epileptic syndromes differ pathophysiologically, ictogenesis related mechanisms are often common. It is generally accepted that ictogenesis results from hyperexcitability of neuronal membrane. Both neurotransmitters and ion channels play a crucial role in neuronal excitability[9]. Excitability is a crucial feature of ictogenesis that may originate from individual neurons, neuronal environment and population of neurons. Excitability arising from single

Electroencephalograhy is the recording of the electrical activity of the brain, usually taken through several electrodes at the scalp. EEG contains lots of valuable information relating to the different physiological states of the brain and thus is a very useful tool for understanding the brain disease, such as epilepsy [3]. EEG signals of epileptic patients exhibit two states of abnormal activities namely interictal or seizure free (in-between epileptic seizures) and ictal (in the course of an epileptic seizure) [4]. The interictal EEG signals are transient waveforms and exhibit spikes, sharp or spiky waves. The ictal EEG signals are continuous waveforms with spikes and sharp wave complexes. Epilepsy can be detected by traditional methods by well-trained and experienced neurophysiologists by visual inspection of long durations of EEG

4. Antagonism of Glutamate: is the primary excitatory transmitter in the CNS. This work through two receptors’ NMDA receptors (N-menthel-D-aspartate receptors) and AMPA receptors (Apha_amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl_4- isoxazole propionic acidrereceptors), - This action suppress neuronal excitation

Sixty-five million people around the world have epilepsy, three million of those alone are in the United States. (Joseph I. Sirven MD and Patricia O. Shafer RN, 2014) What is epilepsy? According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of paroxysmal brain dysfunction due to a sudden, disorderly, and excessive neuronal discharge. The classification system for epilepsy is usually based upon: (1) clinical features of the seizure episodes, (2) etiology, (3) anatomic site of seizure origin, (4) tendency to spread to other structures in the brain, and (5) temporal patterns.

Epilepsy may develop because of an abnormality in brain wiring or an imbalance of nerve signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters. (Epilepsy (epileptic), n.d.) The symptoms of epilepsy are seizures and they fall into these categories. Simple Partial Seizures