Definitions provided by:
Epilepsy Glossary
Terms used to explain Epilepsy can sometimes be confusing. To help you fully understand the articles and features related to this very important health topic, we have compiled a glossary of terms that can help.
: a nonconvulsive generalized seizure that is marked by the transient impairment or loss of consciousness usu. with a blank stare, that begins and ends abruptly and is usu. unremembered afterward, and that is seen chiefly in mild types of epilepsy —called also absence, petit mal
: tending to suppress or prevent epilepsy <antiepileptic[1] treatment>
: an inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movements that is symptomatic of some nervous disorders
1: an automatic action; esp: any action performed without the doer's intention or awareness
2: the power or fact of moving or functioning without conscious control either independently of external stimulation (as in the beating of the heart) or more or less directly under the influence of external stimuli (as in the dilating or contracting of the pupil of the eye)
: an abnormal violent and involuntary contraction or series of contractions of the muscles often used in pl.<a patient suffering from convulsions>
: a conductor used to establish electrical contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit
focal seizure
Function: noun
: see: partial seizure
generalized seizure
Function: noun
: a seizure (as an absence seizure or tonic-clonic seizure) that originates in both cerebral hemispheres compare partial seizure
: excessive ventilation; specif: excessive rate and depth of respiration leading to abnormal loss of carbon dioxide from the blood —called also overventilation
Len*nox–Gas*taut syndrome
Pronunciation: \ˈlen-əks-gas-ˈtō-\
: an epileptic syndrome esp. of young children that is marked by tonic, atonic, and myoclonic seizures and by atypical absence seizures, that is associated with mental retardation, that is prob. caused by various forms of brain damage (as from cerebral hemorrhage, encephalitis, or developmental or metabolic disorder), and that is characterized between seizures by an EEG having a slow spike and wave pattern
parietal lobe
Function: noun
: the middle division of each cerebral hemisphere that is situated behind the central sulcus, above the sylvian fissure, and in front of the parieto-occipital sulcus and that contains an area concerned with bodily sensations
: see: precursory; esp: of, relating to, or marked by prodromes <the prodromal stages of a disease>
vagus nerve
Function: noun
: either of the tenth pair of cranial nerves that arise from the medulla and supply chiefly the viscera esp. with autonomic sensory and motor fibers —called also pneumogastric nerve, tenth cranial nerve, vagus
Take a Personalized Health Test
How well are you controlling your symptoms?
Epilepsy Features
Did You Know?
View SourceEpilepsy affects as many people as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy combined. It creates an estimated $15.5 billion in medical costs and lost earnings and production each year.
Related Conditions
Health News Today
Feed- New Device May Show Doctors More of the Colon 05/18/2013
- Extra Vitamin D May Ease Crohn's Symptoms, Study Finds 05/18/2013
- Study Links Coffee to Lower Risk for Rare Liver Disease 05/18/2013
- Swallowing Magnets Can Be Fatal for Children 05/18/2013
- Latest Edition of Psychiatry's 'Bible' Launched Amid Controversy 05/17/2013
- View More Epilepsy News
