[News] Do seizures damage the brain?

[Zolt]

Interesting reading, here is a quote from it.

"However, scientific data are slowly accumulating to suggest that recurring seizures may contribute to nerve cell injury in the brain, and this may be associated with declines in cognitive function and quality of life."

http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1064856376

Zolt

iano:
op:

 

[petero]

it's my understanding that yes they do damage the brain

I recall from somewhere that any brain damage is technically a "seizure" because the brain works like a long long long chemical "zipper" from A (birth) to Z (death) and that a seizure is sort of like causing another "zipper" to form off of the original zipper. Such that, in a psychotic seizure (which I think I've had) the zipper offshoot remains open for as long as it remains active, which can impair the person for a long time, in having a thought-duality, of sorts, that ideally resolves.

And that usually the zipper offshoot resolves rather quickly, and takes the person's consciousness with it (tonic-clonic unconscious, or lapses of consciousness as in a partial seizure), but that the zipper causes more and more zippers.

But instead of a jacket-zipper type, the zipper is a chemical zipper, which in being in a contrary state to the normal brain function, damages the routing of the brain chemistry. And if anything can be considered damaging to the brain it is by a chemical method. Absolutely seizures cause brain damage. A seizure is the same as a concussion to the brain.

Since the brain is consciousness, it IS life, it IS cognition, they definitely cause impairments. Which areas of the brain are affected and how deep the seizure goes can cause dramatic differences in the damage's effect to "normal day activities", but they all cause impairments.

 

[MAB]

Interesting reading, here is a quote from it.

"However, scientific data are slowly accumulating to suggest that recurring seizures may contribute to nerve cell injury in the brain, and this may be associated with declines in cognitive function and quality of life."

http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1064856376

Zolt

iano:
op:

I had an MRI 3 1/2 years ago while in the hospital for a stroke. The day after the stroke I started having partial seizures and have been having them ever since I was finally dx'ed with partial seizures last month. Last seizure I am aware of was Nov. 7. I see my neuro in again a few weeks. I am going to ask her about ordering an MRI to see if there has been any changes in the last
3 1/2 years.

 

[Belinda5000]

I disagree about seizures damaging the brain, because I wouldn't be able to do anything for myself since I've had them for 50 yrs and I've had so many types of seizures.

I'm my husbands spell check and I have a good memory.
I've gotten smarter as I've gotten older and I remember things that my neuro doesn't remember.




onder:

 

[petero]

I'll still have to go with the theory they do cause brain damage. On a molecular level, but damage nevertheless.
And think of how large the brain is. Every moment of your life was and is in your brain.
If one second of your life up until now is damaged you may not notice it, but it is still damage.
Seizures happen on the molecular level. They're not a overt visual phenomenon like having a broken femur protruding from your leg, but worse, in that they're not overtly, easily visible, and that seizures can be a much more egregious trauma, and even worse pain.

Seizures at their most traumatic can be the worst thing anyone can ever experience. I don't agree that they do not cause brain damage.
The damage may be minuscule, but so is the amount of time it takes for your most loved one to die compared to all of the time you have in life, but still the pain is extraordinary.

 

[arnie]

I think there is no question that seizures do damage to your brain. I can notice it in myself (specifically my short-term memory), my wife notices it, my neurologist says it does, my MRIs show sclerosis of my hippocampus, and there are a number of scholarly studies that says seizures cause brain damage.

 

[Cint]

I agree with Arnie and Petero, numerous seizures do damage the brain. Like petero said, the damage may be miniscule, but there is damage nonetheless. And depending where the seizures originate, it can cause memory loss, speech problems and other problems.

I disagree about seizures damaging the brain, because I wouldn't be able to do anything for myself

My hippocampus is damaged also and they couldn't go there for another surgery or I absolutely wouldn't be able to do anything for myself, according to my neurosurgeon. I would have ended up like an end stage Alzheimer's patient if they did surgery, so we didn't. But I still have seizures and suffer from memory loss plus I live by myself and can do most everything for myself.

 

[chmmr]

I completely agree that seizures damage the brain. Since my daughter was an infant i was told that seizures only do damage if they are over 5 minutes. My daughter has never had a 5 minute seizure ever but since her E made a recurrence in the middle of September, she had suddenly started "losing words". Never the same word and she always gets it back (so far, touch wood) but multiple times during the week she experiences that "tip of the tongue" word finding issue, or says words that come out garbled and it has to be from the seizures.

I think it all depends on the person, how well controlled they are, and where the seizures are occuring as to whether there is damage or not. I have also heard that the younger you are when seizures start, the more likely there is to be damage because the brain is in such an important learning and development stage at that time

 

[Cint]

I completely agree that seizures damage the brain. Since my daughter was an infant i was told that seizures only do damage if they are over 5 minutes.

Absolutely!! I've gone status several times and 911 was called, so I know my brain has been fried!

 

[MAB]

Some of my partials last for hours, or else they come so close together I can't tell if it one long seizure or lots of shorter ones.

I sure hope my neuro will order an MRI when I see her in Jan.

 

[cadsgj]

Hmmm.... Anything in the last ten years telling us differently than the short short article?

http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1064856376

Just had my MRI to start my day today and I suspect I will be back with the neurologist somewhat quickly to get his final decision as to me back for surgery or not, and I will ask him what he believes...
I figure why not, he is further along here than I am!

 

[KatieCoy83]

I have residual fluid left over from surgery so I will always have a twisted mind (Haha). But I'm pretty dang sure over they rise and falls of Med mgs it's fried crispy.

 

[Nakamova]

Seizures can definitely damage the brain, even if it's a tiny amount each time. Many other things can too (like smoking, drug/alcohol abuse, poor diet, etc.). Even chronic stress can damage the brain, which can be a double whammy for folks with epilepsy...

 

[KarenB]

Definitely brain damage, especially in children whose brains are still developing. Jonathan lost 90% of his spoken language at age 5 when he lost seizure control. Have never gotten it back, despite years of therapy, and 2 years of complete seizure control. Things like impulse control and aggressive behavior and self-harming behaviors have also been affected by seizures.

Another factor is the seizure meds. Meds like Topomax and Zonegran (which are the only 2 that control Jon's seizures) can cause language disfunction (esp. word recall) which often isn't recovered even when discontinuing the med. And probably 70% of seizure meds cause cognitive slowing (although that's usually reversed when med is discontinued).