How a patient behaves during a seizure depends on which part of the brain is involved. Different areas of the brain control different body activities. The altered brain activity results in either increased or decreased activity in the part of the body controlled by the affected brain cells. Abnormal cell function can be traced to a number of causes, including injuries to the brain, brain tumors, inherited tendency for seizures, and brain infections. Seizure frequency and severity can be increased by physical and emotional stress, sleep deprivation, illness accompanied by fever, certain drugs, and alcohol withdrawal.
Women often experience an increase in seizures during ovulation and menstruation.
EEGs show brain activity and can reveal the abnormal brain cell function associated with epilepsy. They are used to confirm the diagnosis of epilepsy, to determine the type of epilepsy, and to locate where in the brain the seizures are starting. Once a diagnosis of epilepsy has been confirmed, there are several anticonvulsant drugs that can be prescribed. In most cases these drugs are successful in controlling seizures. When medications fail, some patients are good candidates for epilepsy surgery.