Is this a type of seizure

[chop456]

My sister recalls these symptoms as a teen...

bright light sensation followed by tunnel vision and a "feeling" going thru her body. Then she would black out. We were always told she had low blood sugar although no tests were every run. She now tells me focusing on lined paper or small tiles in the kitchen can send her into a head spin.

My niece had a black out episode this summer but has not had anything since.

After talking with a co-worker last week, she had asked how my daughter was and was telling me about her seizure activity she had as a teen/young adult. She explained exactly what my sister experienced - bright light, tunnel vision followed by the "feeling" and then blacking out. She told me it was heredity and her mother also had this and now her niece is experiencing this. She was very specific to tell me it was a type of seizure. She always thought it was low blood sugar but when her niece went to the doctor they gave it a name - having to do with seizures.

Any ideas a to what the name of this could be?? Could this be related to Paige and her JME??

 

[Nakamova]

It could be seizure-related, but to me it sounds very much like "vasovagal response" (also known vasovagal syncope or neurocardiogenic syncope if it results in fainting). It resembles a seizure, but the mechanism is related to a drop in heart rate or blood pressure. You can read about it here: http://www.dinet.org/NCS/ncs.htm and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_response and here:

Both vasovagal response and seizures can have similar triggers (including photosensitivity like your sister describes), so it can sometimes be hard to distinguish them. If your sister and your niece are definitely having seizures, then there may well be a genetic component.