seizures

Question 1

what is a seizure

Answer 1

a temporary abnormal electro-physiological phenomena of the brain, resulting in abnormal synchronization of electrical neuronal activity

Question 2

what is epilepsy

Answer 2

a disease of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures (at least 2 in less than 24 hours)
caused by an imbalance of inhibitory and excitory activity in the brain

Question 3

what is a convulsion

Answer 3

sudden and often violent motor activity of cerebral or brainstem origin

Question 4

what are the different types of epilepsy

Answer 4

focal and generalised (classified by seizure type)
idiopathic, structural, unknown (classified by aetiology)

Question 5

what are the clinial signs of focal epileptic seizures

Answer 5

• motor (lip smacking, lip pursing, chewing, licking, teeth grinding or swallowing, pedal indicates principally distal component involvement bilateral or unilateral. usually running movement)
• autonomic (dilated pupils, hypersalivation or vomiting)
• Behavioural (anxiousness, restlessness, unexplainable fear reactions or abnormal attention seeking/clinging to O)

Question 6

what are the causes of focal seizures

Answer 6

abnormal electrical activity arises in a localised group of neurons or network within one hemisphere
(clinical signs reflect the functions of the area or areas involved)

Question 7

how are generalised epileptic seizures classified

Answer 7

by bilateral involvement (both sides of the body/both cerebral hemispheres
- can occur alone or from a focal epileptic start
- most common in dogs
- generally present as tonic, clinic or tonic-clonic or atonic

Question 8

define tonic, clonic and tonic-clonic

Answer 8

tonic: sudden stiffness or tension in the muscles or the arms, legs or trunk
clonic: repeated jerking movements of the arms and legs on one or both sides
tonic-clonic: both stiffness and jerking movements

Question 9

how is a structural seizure classified

Answer 9

an intercranial/cerebral pathology (vascular, inflammatory/infectious, traumatic, anomalous/developmental, neoplastic and degenerative diseases)

Question 10

what is status epilepticus

Answer 10

a neurological emergency!!!
continuous epileptic seizure activity lasting longer than 5 minutes or as two or more incomplete recovery of consciousness interictally

Question 11

how does epilepsy treatment work

Answer 11

altering intrinsic membrane properties (primarily sodium channels) or increasing inhibitory transmitter function, primarily GABA system or decreasing excitatory transmitter function, primarily the glutamate system