Nervous system

A brief, temporary disturbance in the brain's electrical activity, affecting muscle control, speech, vision, awareness, and behavior.

A chronic neurological disorder causing frequent seizures, often without a known cause.

Seizures are a symptom of an underlying health problem (often temporary); epilepsy is a chronic condition of recurring seizures.

An involuntary, sudden attack of muscular contractions and relaxations during a seizure.

A group disorders involving loss of memory and other cognitive functions.

A specific type of dementia characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline.

A neurological disorder causing movement problems, such as tremors and rigidity.

The sensory process that detects and signals potentially damaging stimuli.

Fever; an increase in body temperature.

A mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and other symptoms.

A seizure that involves only a portion of the brain, often a specific lobe in one hemisphere.

A focal seizure where the abnormal electrical activity stays in one place and doesn't spread; awareness is maintained.

A focal seizure with altered awareness and sensory/mental distortions; motor dysfunction, like chewing or urination, may occur.

A seizure affecting the whole brain.

Observable symptoms like blank stares, jerking movements, loss of consciousness, and difficulty with attention.

Excessive electrical activity in one brain hemisphere affecting only that part of the body.

Epilepsy seizures are episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain, ranging from brief absence seizures to major convulsions.

A type of epilepsy seizure characterized by brief, mild episodes.

A type of major epilepsy seizure involving loss of consciousness, convulsions, and sensory disturbances.

Epilepsy seizures marked by disorientation lasting approximately one to two minutes.

Epilepsy can be caused by tumors, injuries, or other neurological diseases, but often the cause is unknown.

Electroencephalography study used to record brain electrical activity, helpful in diagnosing epilepsy.

Small molecules that transmit signals between neurons.

Excitatory neurotransmitter (triggers neurons to fire).

Inhibitory neurotransmitter (slows neuron firing).

Essential in creating action potentials (electrical signals).

Essential in controlling the action potential.

An electrical signal traveling down a neuron's axon.

Seizures that involve excessive electrical activity in both cerebral hemispheres, usually originating in the thalamus or brainstem, affecting the whole body, and commonly causing loss of consciousness.

Seizures characterized by a sudden loss of muscle tone, often referred to as drop attacks.

Seizures involving brief, shock-like muscle jerks, which can be generalized or limited to a body part.

Seizures marked by a sudden stiffening of the body, arms, or legs.

Seizures characterized by rhythmic jerking movements of the arms and legs, without a tonic component.

Seizures that progress through a tonic phase followed by a clonic phase.

Seizures characterized by a person appearing to "blank out" or "daydream".

A seizure lasting longer than 30 minutes or a series of three or more seizures without a normal period in between, potentially fatal and often requiring emergency intervention.

Drugs used to suppress or prevent abnormal or repetitive firing of brain neurons.

A common antiseizure drug from the hydantoin class.

A newer antiseizure drug belonging to the hydantoin class, noted for treating status epilepticus.

Chloride ions enter neurons, reducing firing ability.

Drugs that reduce seizures by decreasing neuron firing.

Anticonvulsant drugs block calcium channels decreasing seizure activity.

Oscillations between thalamus and cortex; involve T-type calcium channels.

Drugs reducing calcium current, dampening absence seizures.

Antiseizure drugs slow calcium entry into neurons to prevent abnormal firing.

Blocking calcium channels raises the electrical threshold, reducing abnormal firing.

Antiseizure drugs work through three main mechanisms: stimulating chloride ion influx, delaying sodium influx, and delaying calcium influx.

Some antiseizure drugs, like Carbamazepine and Phenytoin, block sodium channels, preventing excessive neuronal activity.

Antiseizure drugs often bind preferentially to inactivated sodium channels, keeping them in that state and reducing the sodium current.

Other antiseizure drugs, such as benzodiazepines, increase the effects of GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Vigabatrin inhibits GABA-transaminase, which leads to increased GABA levels and enhanced central inhibition.

Tiagabine inhibits GABA reuptake, leading to more GABA in the synaptic cleft for enhanced inhibition.

Certain antiseizure drugs mimic GABA's effects by stimulating chloride ion influx, which further inhibits neuronal activity.

Inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain which promotes chloride ion influx.