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What Are Frontal Seizures?

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that can cause a group of nerve cells to send out faulty signals which trigger epileptic seizures. Seizures that begin in the front of the brain (frontal lobe seizures) can cause a variety of abnormal mental and physical symptoms that usually respond well to treatment.

  1. Epilepsy

    • According to the National Institute of Health more than 2-million people or 1 in 100 have been diagnosed with epilepsy or have had unexplained seizures. For the vast majority of those diagnosed with epilepsy, potential seizures can be controlled with medications. Epilepsy is not due to mental illness or mental retardation.

    Frontal lobe seizures

    • Frontal lobe seizures are a type of focal seizure meaning it occurs in only one section of the brain. The NIH says about 60 percent of epileptic seizures are focal. Frontal lobe seizures often begin while the person is sleeping.

    Symptoms of frontal lobe seizures

    • During a frontal lobe seizure the person may move their legs in a circular motion as though they are riding a bike or sitting in a rocking chair. These repetitive movements are defined as automatism's. The epileptic may forcefully push his or her pelvic region, their head and eyes may wander off to one side or they may blink or twitch.

      The sometimes powerful physical motions that occur may harm the person going through the seizures.

      There may also be verbal cues that something is very wrong such as yelling profanities or laughing hysterically.

    Causes of frontal lobe seizures

    • In most cases the cause of frontal lobe epileptic seizsures is a mystery. They can be triggered by frontal lobe tumors, injuries or vascular abnormalities.

      A rare disease called autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy may make you genetically predisposed to seizures. If your mother or father has this form of epilepsy, you have a 50-50 chance of developing the disease.

    Diagnositic challenges

    • The strange behavior often displayed during frontal lobe seizures can be easily mistaken for other disorders such as mental illness. A knowledgeable doctor can distinguish epilepsy from other conditions and perform the proper diagnostic tests.

    Complications

    • Since frontal lobe seizures are inclined to occur in clusters and may last for an extending period of time, there is a higher risk of a serious condition called status epilepticus. Status epilepticus is defined as seizure activity that continues for longer than 30 minutes.

    Treatment

    • Frontal lobe seizures that continue for more than five minutes should be treated as a medical emergency. In most cases medications can control frontal lobe seizures. If anti-seizure drugs such as dilantin and depakote are not effective, surgery may be considered.

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