Partial seizures
These seizures are called 'partial’ because only one part of the brain is affected, which means the burst of electrical activity is usually limited to one side of the brain. This form of seizure generally originates in the temporal or the frontal lobe of the brain.
Partial seizures can be simple partial seizures or complex partial seizures.
Simple Partial Seizures
When the consciousness of a person is not impaired during the seizure, he/she has a simple partial seizure.
Symptoms
As Simple Partial Seizures do not involve an impairment of the consciousness, the person will be aware of what they are doing. Their emotions may be altered and they might experience something different and strange about how things feel, hear, look, smell or taste. They might also experience some sudden, involuntary jerking of a part of their body like their arm or their leg. A simple partial seizure usually lasts just a few seconds or minutes.
Complex Partial Seizures
When the electrical disturbances affect the awareness and consciousness of a person, they have a complex partial seizure. This is the most common form of partial seizures found in epilepsy.
Symptoms
As complex partial seizures involve an impairment of consciousness, they will not be aware of what they are doing or they might have a distorted memory of it. During the seizure, they might appear dazed or confused. Purposeless behaviour such as random walking, mumbling, lip-smacking, blinking, swallowing, repeated movements, clinging to other people or plucking their clothes is sometimes observed.
They might also experience some vague unusual feelings that may be difficult to describe. They may see life-like dream pictures or be aware of stronger feelings of anxiety or exhilaration. They may be unaware of the environment and might wander.
Their seizure might last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes; sometimes it might even last up to 20 minutes or more.
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