Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about epilepsy.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash epilepsy or in the neurology section of the second edition of the zero to finals medicine book.

And you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge on this content

and help you remember the information for longer at members.0 tofinals.com.

So let's get straight into it.

Epilepsy is a condition characterized by seizures.

Seizures are transient episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

Let's go through the types of seizure.

The types of seizure generally seen in adults include generalized tonic clonic seizures,

partial seizures, which are also called focal seizures,

myoclonic seizures, tonic seizures, and atonic seizures.

The types that are commonly seen in children include absence seizures, infantile spasms and febrile convulsions.

And we're going to go through all of these in more detail.

Generalized tonic-clonic seizures involve tonic, which is muscle tensing, and clonic, which is muscle jerking, movements associated with

a complete loss of consciousness. Typically, the tonic phase comes before the clonic phase. So the

patient has intense muscle tensing followed by muscle jerking.

Generalized tonic-clonic seizures are also called grand mal seizures.

Before the seizure, patients might experience aura, which is an abnormal sensation that gives a

warning that a seizure is going to occur. They may have tongue-biting, incontinence, groaning and

irregular breathing during the seizure. After the seizure, there's a prolonged post-ictal period,

which is where the person is confused, tired, and irritable or low. Partial seizures, which are also called focal seizures,

occur in an isolated area of the brain,

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