Understanding the Types of Epileptic Seizures
Based in Boston, Warren Lammert serves as CIO and CEO of Granite Point Capital, an investment firm he founded in 2004. An advocate for epilepsy awareness, Warren Lammert was instrumental in co-founding the Epilepsy Therapy Project and Epilepsy.com, both of which now operate under the umbrella of the Epilepsy Foundation, of which he is a former chairman.
Epilepsy is characterized by its sudden and unpredictable seizures of various types, precipitated by neuronal misfirings in the brain.
Seizures are categorized based on individual symptoms, whether a person loses awareness, and the seizure’s point of origin in the brain. It is possible for an individual with epilepsy to experience different types of seizures.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, epileptic seizures are divided into two main types, generalized and focal. Generalized seizures take place in both hemispheres of the brain, while focal seizures involve only one area of the brain.
Under the heading of generalized seizures are absence seizures (also called petit mal) and tonic-clonic seizures (also known as grand mal). Absence seizures involve brief episodes of staring into the distance or fast eye-blinking, while tonic-clonic seizures typically result in jerky muscle spasms, falling down, calling out, or losing consciousness. People typically feel confused or exhausted after experiencing a tonic-clonic seizure.
Focal seizure types include simple focal, which involves only a limited portion of the brain and cause alteration in sense perceptions; complex focal, causing brief episodes of confusion; and secondary generalized, in which a seizure begins on one side of the brain and spreads to the other.
Epilepsy is characterized by its sudden and unpredictable seizures of various types, precipitated by neuronal misfirings in the brain.
Seizures are categorized based on individual symptoms, whether a person loses awareness, and the seizure’s point of origin in the brain. It is possible for an individual with epilepsy to experience different types of seizures.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, epileptic seizures are divided into two main types, generalized and focal. Generalized seizures take place in both hemispheres of the brain, while focal seizures involve only one area of the brain.
Under the heading of generalized seizures are absence seizures (also called petit mal) and tonic-clonic seizures (also known as grand mal). Absence seizures involve brief episodes of staring into the distance or fast eye-blinking, while tonic-clonic seizures typically result in jerky muscle spasms, falling down, calling out, or losing consciousness. People typically feel confused or exhausted after experiencing a tonic-clonic seizure.
Focal seizure types include simple focal, which involves only a limited portion of the brain and cause alteration in sense perceptions; complex focal, causing brief episodes of confusion; and secondary generalized, in which a seizure begins on one side of the brain and spreads to the other.
