Signs & Symptoms of Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological condition in which the brain periodically "misfires," causing the individual to experience seizures. These misfires are actually electrical impulses or signals occurring within the cells, prompting some sort of reaction within the area of the body controlled by the affected portion of the brain. Oftentimes, this is considered a chronic condition because the disorder persists throughout a person's lifetime and finds relief through different forms of drug therapy. Since this is a condition that involves a specific portion of a person's brain, the reaction of the body will be consistent each time the impulse or signal is felt, prompting very identifiable symptoms that vary from person to person.

Motionlessness

• For some people, epilepsy will cause intermittent episodes of what would appear to be an almost motionless state. This motionlessness is actually a by-product of the seizure itself, as not everyone with this condition will suffer from a jerking of the body. When this particular symptom is present, a person will usually stare for a relatively short period of time, sometimes just seconds, and then return to his current activity.

Cognitive Disturbance

• For others, epilepsy can bring on some cognitive disturbance. This particular symptom usually manifests as a state of momentary confusion, but it may also alter, according to the Mayo Clinic, how a person smells, hears, sees or feels (both physically and emotionally) what is around him as well as what a person even tastes when substances are put in his mouth.

Gestural Disturbance

• There is also the potential that epilepsy can prompt some gestural disturbances. This is often seen with complex partial seizures associated with epilepsy, and it can cause a person to begin to perform transitory and abnormal movements during an episode. For some, they may begin to swallow or chew for no apparent reason. For others, they may begin to repetitively execute a motion for a short period of time. With this particular symptom, the actual activity will vary from person to person and can be anywhere from subtle to pronounced.

Vertigo

• Another common symptom of epilepsy involves a brief and unexpected feeling of vertigo, which is best described as a sensation that the environment around the individual is moving when, in all reality, it isn't. This can prompt a light-headedness, dizziness or unsteadiness in the sufferer that may cause him to lose balance, stumble or even fall. This feeling of vertigo may or may not be accompanied by a visual disturbance of flashing lights.

Jerking or Twitching

• Jerking or twitching within some portion or the entirety of the body is probably the most well-known symptom of epilepsy. Though this is the most distinct and obvious symptom, it works in the same basic fashion as any of the other signs of the condition. What happens is an impulse or signal travels through the brain, prompting a reaction that causes the body to jerk, twitch or shake for a period of time. And much like gestural disturbances, the intensity and severity of a "typical" seizure will vary greatly from person to person.

Loss of Consciousness

• It is also possible for epilepsy, or at least its seizures, to cause a person to lose consciousness. This will be sudden as well as unexpected and will usually only be for a short period of time.