Frontal Lobe Epilepsy

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What is Frontal lobe epilepsy?

Frontal lobe epilepsy is another commonly occuring type of epilepsy which involves the frontal lobe of brain. The seizures are partial in this form of illness.

This disease is characterised by a cluster of short seizures with a rapid start and end. The seizures occuring in Frontal lobe Epilepsy vary the from one individual to another hence producing unusual symptoms that sometimes appear same as a psychiatric problem or a sleep disorder. Sudden thrashing movements during sleep, posturing with the head jerking to one side, and the arm rising with it into a brief, frozen state are some of the common symptoms of this illness.

Causes of Frontal lobe epilepsy

The causes of Frontal Lobe Epilepsy are generally attributed to traumas or some malfuntions. An abnormal gene causes a rare inherited disorder called autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. Some common causes are as follows:

• Tumors
• Vascular malformations
• Developmental lesions
• Gliosis
• Head trauma

What are the common symptoms and signs of Frontal lobe epilepsy?

1. Frequent seizures
2. Head and eye deviation to one side
3. Abnormal body posturing, such as one arm extending while the other flexes, as if the person is posing like a fencer
4. Behavioral automatisms — such as rocking, bicycle pedaling movements or repetitive hand movements
5. Falling, caused by seizures that begin in one area of the brain and rapidly spread into other parts of the brain
6. Minimal or no confusion after the seizure
7. Variable in causing unconsciousness
8. Clustering of seizures, often during sleep

Diagnosis study of Frontal lobe epilepsy

This disease is diagnosed using the following tests and examinations:

1. Blood tests -Complete blood cell count
2. MRI
3. Position emission tomography
4. Single-photon emission computed tomography
5. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
6. Molecular Genetic Testing
   

Treatment for Frontal lobe epilepsy

• Resective surgery
• Anticonvulsant medications
  • Older phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, and barbiturates
  • Newer gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, tiagabine, levetiracetam, zonisamide, and oxcarbazepine
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation can be beneficial where brain surgery is not an option