Frontal Lobe Epilepsy Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Frontal Lobe Epilepsy?

Frontal lobe epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by short, redundant seizures which arise in the frontal lobe of the brain.
It usually arises when the affected individual is sleeping. Such seizures, when experienced while asleep may lead to exhibition of bicyclical motion and pelvic thrusting.
The second most common type of epilepsy, frontal lobe epilepsy is marked by two forms of partial seizures; namely simple partial seizure or complex partial seizure.  While simple partial seizures don’t affect memory, complex partial seizures do.
Symptoms of the frontal lobe epilepsy vary according to the affected location of the frontal lobe. Diagnoses may be difficult since frontal lobe epilepsy leads to unusual symptoms which are mistaken for other conditions, such as psychiatric disorder, non-epileptic seizure etc.
There are many different causes of frontal lobe epilepsy ranging from genetics to head trauma that result in lesions in the frontal lobes. Possible treatment includes medications such as anti-epileptic drugs. However, if such medications are ineffective, surgery may be necessary.

Causes Of Frontal Lobe Epilepsy:

In most cases, the cause of frontal lobe epilepsy remains a mystery.

However, possible causes may include:

•     Tumors
  Tumors account for one-third of cases of frontal lobe epilepsy
  Possible types include:
  o    Gangliogliomas
  o    low-grade gliomas
  o     epidermoid tumors
•     Lesions on the frontal lobe
  Hamartomas
  Nodular heterotopias
•     Birth defects
  Vascular malformation
  Arteriovenous malformations
  Cavernous angiomas
•     Head trauma
•     Strokes
•     Infections
•     Encephalitis
•     Genetic
  Autosomal Dominant Nocturnal Frontal Lobe Epilepsy, involving mutations in 2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes

Symptoms Of Frontal Lobe Epilepsy:

Signs and symptoms may include:

•     Head and eye movement to one side
•     Complete or partial unresponsiveness
•     difficulty speaking
•     Explosive screams, including profanities, or laughter
•     Abnormal body posturing, such as one arm extending while the other flexes, as if the person is posing like a fencer
•     Repetitive movements, such as rocking, bicycle pedaling or pelvic thrusting
•     Abnormal sensations (which may include a rising or “funny” feeling in the gut)
•     Hallucinations (including sights, smells, tastes)
•     Vivid déjà vu or recalled memories or emotions
•     A sudden, intense emotion not related to anything happening at the time
•     Numbness
•     Tingling
•     A feeling that the flesh is crawling
•     Abdominal pain
•     Nausea
•     Sweating
•     Flushing
•     Dilated pupils

Diagnosis Of Frontal Lobe Epilepsy:

Frontal lobe epilepsy is difficult to diagnose.

The following tests may help in its diagnoses:

•     Brain scans.
  MRI, to reveal the source of blood clot, if any.
•     Electroencephalogram (EEG)
•     Video EEG

Treatment Of Frontal Lobe Epilepsy:

The following treatment options are available:

•     Medications
  Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
  Phenytoin (Dilantin Kapseals)
  Gabapentin (Neurontin)
  Levetiracetam (Keppra)
  Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
  Topiramate (Topamax)
  Tiagabine (Gabitril)
  Zonisamide (Zonegran)
  Pregabalin (Lyrica)
•     Surgery
  Frontal lobectomy
•     Use of regimented diet

By : Natural Health News