kyramarios constanti (kyramari at ux5.cso.uiuc.edu) wrote:
: I was wondering what are the most effective treatments for epilepsy
: both surgical and medicinal? I would also like to know how a seizure or
: epileptic fit occurs. I am curious because someone dear to me has a form
: of mild epilepsy and experiences unconsciousness or an inability to
: speak when conscious when she has a seizure. She has had seizures for
: almost a year now and has tried various medicines to no avail.
Epilepsy is not a single disorder, but a group of disorders that
manifest in approximately the same manner. In general, seizures reflect
overactivity and abnormal synchronization of neurons in the cortex and
limbic system of the brain. Some seizures have specific causes, such as
convulsions brought on by a high fever. Most of the epilepsies, however,
do not as yet have an identifyable cause.
Unless we knew what type of epilepsy your loved one has, its kind
of difficult to discuss treatment. The epilepsies are divided into 3
broad categories: grand mal, petit mal, and focal. And there are
subdivisions within those. Alot of the drugs that are handed out work by
suppressing the whole nervous system, instead of attacking the problem,
so there really is no wonder that they may not work very well. If you let
us know more info, then maybe we can be more specific.
Natalie Krenz
Graduate Program in Neuroscience
University of Western Ontario
