Seizure

An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain".

What is a Seizure?

Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. In the healthy brain, electrical and chemical signals are fired between nerves called neurons to drive the brain's ability to think, feel and send instructions to parts of the body, such as the muscles. Seizures occur when this electrical system in the brain malfunctions.

Epileptic Seizure Symptoms

Epileptic Seizure Diagnosis

Epileptic Seizure Causes

Epileptic Seizure Management

Latest Seizure News and Research

Maternal gut microbiota can promote healthy fetal brain development

During pregnancy in mice, the billions of bacteria and other microbes that live in a mother's intestines regulate key metabolites, small molecules that are important for healthy fetal brain development, UCLA biologists report Sept. 23 in the journal Nature.

24 Sep 2020

First 'plug and play' brain prosthesis demonstrated in a person with paralysis

In a significant advance, UC San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences researchers working towards a brain-controlled prosthetic limb have shown that machine learning techniques helped an individual with paralysis learn to control a computer cursor using their brain activity without requiring extensive daily retraining, which has been a requirement of all past brain-computer interface efforts.

7 Sep 2020

Study shows how general anesthetic drugs act on the brain receptors

As you drift into unconsciousness before a surgery, general anesthetic drugs flowing through your blood are putting you to sleep by binding mainly to a protein in the brain called the ɣ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor.

3 Sep 2020

Study identifies important regulator of neuron function and survival

Scientists studying neuronal energy metabolism found evidence that the loss of an important energy regulator called AMPK in neural stem cells or glial cells called astrocytes causes neuronal death in laboratory rodents.

1 Sep 2020

Newly approved drugs in Canada lack key pediatric drug information

Newly approved drugs in Canada lack important pediatric drug information in their product monograph, according to an analysis led by McMaster University and McMaster Children's Hospital.

1 Sep 2020

New study weighs effectiveness of three anticonvulsant drugs to treat deadly seizures

Three anticonvulsant drugs commonly used to stop prolonged, potentially deadly seizures each work equally well, according to a national study led by physicians at UT Southwestern.

31 Aug 2020

Artificial pancreas manages blood sugar levels in type 1 diabetes children

An artificial pancreas originally developed at the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology safely and effectively manages blood sugar levels in children ages 6 to 13 with type 1 diabetes, a national clinical trial has found.

27 Aug 2020

Long-term brain monitoring technologies can benefit epilepsy patients

Today, the way a physician gets an idea of how many seizures a person with epilepsy has had is through the patient's own record of seizure activity in his day-to-day life.

27 Aug 2020

Largely ignored 'housekeeping' gene plays a role in seizures

Within cells, molecules known as transfer RNAs, or "tRNAs," play an important but unglamorous workhorse role in keeping the genetic translation process moving along from codes of DNA to functional proteins.

26 Aug 2020

Link found between frequent seizures during menstrual cycle and drug-resistant epilepsy

More frequent seizures during the menstrual cycle in women with genetic generalized epilepsy have been linked for the first time to drug-resistant epilepsy, when anti-seizure medications don't work, according to a Rutgers coauthored study that may help lead to tailored treatments.

26 Aug 2020

Study: SARS-CoV-2 can infect human neural progenitor cells and brain organoids

SARS-CoV-2 can infect human neural progenitor cells and brain organoids, as shown by researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators from The University of Hong Kong (HKU).

25 Aug 2020

Doctors with disabilities call for a paradigm shift to make medical education, profession more inclusive

Doctors treat and heal patients, but they are seldom seen as people who may themselves require care or accommodation. Medics with disabilities are now calling for a paradigm shift in this mindset to make medical education and the profession more inclusive.

21 Aug 2020

Misperceptions on the chance of seizure freedom after two failed treatments

A common misperception has spread throughout the epilepsy community: It is said that if the first two anti-seizure medications fail, chances of seizure freedom drop to less than 5%.

10 Aug 2020

FDA approves CBD oral solution for treatment of seizures related to tuberous sclerosis complex

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in patients one year of age and older.

31 Jul 2020

International researchers propose new classification system of seizures

Epilepsy is a wide-spread neurological disorder that affects around 50 million people worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures, which are sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain.

31 Jul 2020

FDA issues warning letters to companies for illegally selling hangover remedies

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it has issued warning letters to seven companies for illegally selling unapproved products labeled as dietary supplements that claim to cure, treat, mitigate or prevent hangovers, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

29 Jul 2020

Young people with epilepsy report increase in seizures during lockdown

More seizures, more stress and appointments being cancelled are among the challenges faced by young people with epilepsy during the pandemic, the charity Young Epilepsy has found.

21 Jul 2020

Cerebrospinal fluid autoantibodies target the brain in some COVID-19 patients

A study conducted by German researchers has shown that the neurological symptoms observed in some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be caused by autoantibodies targeting the brain.

7 Jul 2020

New vitamin K-based drug eliminates medication-resistant epileptic seizures in mice

In the cover article of the June 11 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, a team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, led by Sherine Chan, Ph.D., and James Chou, Ph.D., reports that a new vitamin K-based drug has proved effective in mouse models of medication-resistant seizures.

6 Jul 2020