Can brief memory problems be a form of a seizure?

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

Okay, I have a really bad short term memory but long term memory is great. For the most part, that's typical of anyone within limits of course but mine can really suck sometimes.

What I'm wondering is if you have a brief memory problem like you try to tell someone something and can't think of the name of it, even if it's a VERY simple thing & you struggle with the words. It might last a few seconds, then you get it back like nothing happened and you're fine. Can this be a kind of a seizure that just affects memory? I mean that you don't stare into space or have anything else but a very brief memory thing? Kind of like having an aura that you come out of.

The other day I was talking to someone and was telling them that my cat likes to play with Q tips but when I went to say Q tip, I couldn't remember it, the name of it, then it finally clicked and I remembered. It was like an aura but all that happened was I couldn't remember. Anyone else have this?

 

[cazzy]

this can happen to me and do rathar alot and i think same as you is it kind of seizure i think it can be both that and or memory....but ya right it really sucks it so frustrating

 

[Nakamova]

It can be a seizure, and/or it can be a med side effect.

 

[moongal]

Hey Angel, I also have really bad short term problems especially after a few tonic clonics in a row. Any new person I've met within recent months I'll easily forget their name. Also I find that I read words wrong and also can't spell as well as I used to be able to and that is never something i had an issue with. To be honest this issue scares me at times.

 

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

Was wondering too if it was a possible side effect of the meds. Yes, it sucks especially when you forget something you really want to remember and never remember it.

 

[GoGiants]

I have the same problem. Not sure if it is seizure activity though. More of a side effect I wager.

 

[Cint]

It sounds to me like aphasia, a common side effect of brain injuries and tumors, surgeries, strokes, etc. Even seizure patients suffer from aphasia. I definitely suffer from it. Very frustrating to be talking to someone and suddenly forget the word you so badly want to say.

From

http://www.webmd.com/brain/aphasia-causes-symptoms-types-treatments

Aphasia may also be caused by a brain tumor, brain infection, or dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. In some cases, aphasia is a symptom of epilepsy or other neurological disorder.

What Are the Types of Aphasia?

There are types of aphasia. Each type can cause impairment that varies from mild to severe. Common types of aphasia include the following:

Expressive aphasia (non-fluent): With expressive aphasia, the person knows what he or she wants to say yet has difficulty communicating it to others. It doesn't matter whether the person is trying to say or write what he or she is trying to communicate.

Anomic aphasia. With anomic aphasia, the person has word-finding difficulties. This is called anomia. Because of the difficulties, the person struggles to find the right words for speaking and writing.

 

[Havok]

I have been doing this for years! Is this not normal?

 

[kathya410]

this is exactly what happens to me. I will be making a simple sentence and then one of the words just won't come out. I try to use something familiar and I usually tell he person to just wait a few seconds and then I'll tell them. I continue with my sentence and say "oh yes, this is what I wanted to say" and then use the word. I relayed that to my neurologist and he said it was probably seizure related.

 

[Havok]

There's so many things like this that could be a seizure or seizure related that I've learned from here. It's nice to be getting some good information

Typically it'll take me between 5 minutes and three hours to remember the word. I'll get so frustrated that I'll just change subjects.

This actually happened recently where my girlfriend was asking me what I wanted for dinner. I was going to say, "I want tacos," but I forgot the word completely. I had to get her to run through random food words until she hit tacos.

 

[KarenB]

Topomax is one of the meds that causes issues with word retrieval...

This side effect can be temporary (usually is, according to our neurologist), but can also be permanent (anecdotal reports from E patients).

Jon lost 90% of his spoken language between age 5 1/2 and 6 (but retained receptive language) while on a high dose of Topomax (lower dose didn't bother him), even though he only had about 4 tonic clonics during that time period. So far...word retrieval hasn't come back -- it's been almost 3 years (except when altered state of consciousness -- such as coming out from anesthesia or sometimes in post-ictal phase of seizure -- sometimes gets quite verbal then -- wierd)

 

[KarenB]

Article: Brain regions underlying word finding difficulties in temporal lobe epilepsy
http://gsite.univ-provence.fr/gsite/Local/lpc/dir/alario/papers/2009-TrebuchonEtal-Brain.pdf

"Evidence regarding the brain regions underlying this deficit comes from
studies of peri-operative electro-cortical stimulation, as well as post-surgical performance. This evidence has highlighted a role for the anterior part of the dominant temporal lobe in oral word production...

...Left temporal lobe epilepsy patients showed considerably worse performance
than right temporal lobe epilepsy patients."
*************

Article: Cognitive Impact of AEDs
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229254/

CAE = cognitive adverse effect

"Reports indicate that CAEs are not uncommon with topiramate [Bootsma et al. 2006], and may constitute a large proportion of the AEs in children [Mohamed et al. 2000]. One study found 44% of patients reported experiencing CAEs after 1 year of treatment [Lee et al. 2006]. However, a double-blind, randomized trial in older adults reported CAEs including memory worsening and language difficulties in only 1–5% of patients using topiramate [Ramsay et al. 2008]. Whatever the frequency of CAEs, they are the most likely reason for treatment withdrawal [Tatum et al. 2001]."

"Cognitive side effects can include impaired concentration [Froscher et al. 2005], cognitive dulling [Coppola et al. 2002], psychomotor slowing [Tatum et al. 2001], language and comprehension problems [Fritz et al. 2005], detrimental effects on short-term memory [Gomer et al. 2007; Aldenkamp et al. 2000] and working memory [Jung et al. 2010; Lee et al. 2006; Fritz et al. 2005], poor verbal fluency [Jung et al. 2010; Gomer et al. 2007; Lee et al. 2006, 2003; Fritz et al. 2005; Thompson et al. 2000] and word-finding deficits [Mula et al. 2003b], reduced IQ score [Sun et al. 2008; Lee et al. 2003; Thompson et al. 2000] and cognitive speed [Bootsma et al. 2008a; Gomer et al. 2007], and abnormal thinking [Froscher et al. 2005]. Other studies report improvements in cognitive measures after topiramate withdrawal [Kockelmann et al. 2003]. For example, in one study, verbal fluency, verbal and spatial span and attention improved after treatment withdrawal, and patients then performed similarly to untreated patient controls [Kockelmann et al. 2003]. EEG changes may be seen in frontal regions, along with deterioration in cognitive performance [Jung et al. 2010]."