Seizure Disorder, Focal

BASICS

Seizures occur when abnormal synchronous neuronal discharges in the brain cause transient cortical dysfunction.
Focal or localization-related seizures have previously been referred to as partial seizures and originate from a discrete focus limited to one cerebral hemisphere.
Focal seizures are further divided into aware versus unaware and motor versus nonmotor:
- Focal seizures with impairment of awareness (formerly “complex partial seizures”)
- Focal seizures without impairment of awareness (formerly “simple partial seizures”)

Focal seizures occur in 20/100,000 persons in the United States.

Focal seizures begin when a localized seizure focus produces an abnormal, synchronized depolarization within a neuronal network limited to one cerebral hemisphere; it may stay discretely localized or be widely distributed throughout that hemisphere.
The area of cortex involved in the seizure determines the symptoms; for example, an epileptogenic focus in motor cortex produces contralateral motor symptoms.
Most common etiologies vary by life stage:
- Early childhood: developmental/congenital malformation, trauma
- Young adults: developmental, infection, trauma
- Adults 40 to 60 years of age: cerebrovascular insult, infection, trauma
- Adults >60 years of age: cerebrovascular insult, trauma, neoplasm

Benign rolandic epilepsy has an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.

Depression

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