Temporal Lobe Seizure

Verified By Apollo Hospitals October 1, 2024

Neurology

Temporal lobe seizures originate in the temporal lobes of your brain, responsible for emotions and short-term memory. The exact cause of temporal lobe seizure remains unknown. They are usually focal seizures with impaired awareness.

What is temporal lobe seizure?

The temporal lobes are responsible for producing emotions in humans. Therefore, temporal lobe seizure symptoms may include odd feelings — such as euphoria, deja vu or fear. Some people remain aware of what is happening around them if the temporal lobe seizure is mild. However, if the seizure is intense, the patients might look awake but remain unresponsive during the whole situation.

What are the symptoms of temporal lobe seizures?

Sometimes an unusual sensation may precede temporal lobe seizure as a warning or aura. But this symptom is not typical for everyone. The most common symptoms of this disease are:

A sudden sense of unprovoked fear
A sudden feeling of unprovoked joy
A sudden sense of strange taste
A sudden sense of strange odour
Déjà vu
Repeated swallowing
Repeated chewing
Lip-smacking
Temporary loss of awareness about surroundings
Unnatural movements of the fingers
A short period of confusion
Inability to recall what happened during the seizure

When should you see a doctor?

If any of the aforementioned symptoms occur, then you must see a doctor. If the seizure lasts for more than five minutes and if the person stays unconscious for some time after the seizure stops it needs urgent medical attention. Apart from that, if the person has a high fever, slow recovery, extreme exhaustion or any injury during the seizure, contacting the doctor is essential.

Request an appointment at Apollo Hospitals.

Call 1860-500-1066 to book an appointment.

What are the risk factors?

Suppose you suffer from traumatic brain injury, brain tumor or infectious diseases such as meningitis or encephalitis, stroke, malformation of blood vessels in the brain, brain tumours or certain genetic syndromes. In that case, you do have a risk of developing a temporal lobe seizure.

If you have repeated temporal lobe seizures, then the hippocampus portion of your brain starts to shrink. It is the area that is responsible for memory and learning, so if the brain cells start to shrink in this part, it can cause memory problems.

Is there a way to prevent temporal lobe seizure?

Temporal lobe seizures cannot always be prevented because the cause of the seizure is not the same . However, some of these seizures can be due to traumatic brain injuries. It is better to wear a helmet if you are riding a bike and fasten your seat belt when you are driving a car. A healthy lifestyle also protects against stroke and infections .

What are the treatment options for temporal lobe seizures?

Anti-seizure medications
If the temporal lobe seizure is too severe, then doctors can perform surgery. They use MRI-guided laser therapy to remove the area from where the seizures originate.
Vagus nerve stimulation is a device that is implanted under the skin of someone’s chest. This device sends signals to that part of the brain, which inhibits seizures via the vagus nerve.
Responsive neurostimulation implants a device on the brain’s surface, and it can detect seizure activity and deliver an electrical stimulation to the detected area to stop the seizure.

There is also ketogenic dietary therapy that has been proven beneficial in treating this disease for some people.

Conclusion

Brain inflammation, brain injury, brain tumor and brain infection are the primary causes of temporal lobe seizure. If it repeatedly happens in a person, then it can cause short-term memory loss.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1: How do doctors diagnose temporal lobe seizure?

Ans: Electroencephalogram, neurological exams, blood tests CT scan, , MRI, PET scan and SPECT are some of the tests for diagnosing temporal lobe seizure.

2: Can anxiety cause temporal lobe seizure?

Ans: Anxiety and depression can sometimes cause temporal lobe seizures. As a result, one can have unnecessary fear, paranoia, blood pressure, and heart rate changes.

3: Can sleep help reduce temporal lobe seizure?

Ans: Lack of sleep often triggers this disease. So, if a person gets adequate rest, especially at night, their chances of seizures reduce.

4: How will people know if I suddenly have another temporal lobe seizure?

Ans: You can wear a medical alert bracelet to alert people if you are prone for temporal lobe seizures.