What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy, a name given to seizure conditions with different causes, is a disorder of the central nervous system that causes recurring seizures. A seizure is an electrical disturbance in the brain that may be associated with temporary changes in a person’s sensations, movement, awareness, or behavior. It begins when one or more cells creates and sends electrical messages that cause an inappropriate burst of electrical activity. This causes the surrounding neurons to generate their own electrical messages.
Seizures are divided into two main categories: generalized or partial (focal) seizures. Partial seizures are a surge of excessive electrical activity beginning in just one part of the brain, activity that will then also spread to other parts of the brain (a phenomenon called “secondary generalization”). Such partial seizures include subcategories called complex partial seizures and simple partial seizures. They also can include infantile spasms. Generalized seizures are electrical surges that appear to start throughout the entire brain all at once. They include absence seizures, tonic clonic seizures, and myoclonic seizures. Idiopathic generalized seizures, nearly thirty percent of all epilepsies, are of unknown origin – they seem to “just happen.” They often run in families and are known to have a strong genetic basis.
Epilepsy can have a devastating impact on our society. More than 3 million people (nearly one percent) in the United States have epilepsy. It affects people of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds. Eighty percent of people with epilepsy have been able to have their seizures totally or partially controlled through medical advances. At the Family Studies in Epilepsy Program we hope to realize the genetic causes of the Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsies to potentially provide a future breakthrough for this disorder.
Epilepsy is NOT contagious or a curse; it is NOT a mental illness, it is NOT possession by demons, and it is NOT a sign of low intelligence. Sadly, those are myths about epilepsy that many people believe. People who have epilepsy should NOT be referred to as epileptics. Ignorance and myths about epilepsy often cause more problems for a person with epilepsy than the condition itself. Epilepsy is a medical problem. Between seizures, a person with epilepsy is JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!