Focal seizure
Jacksonian seizure; Seizure - partial (focal); Temporal lobe seizure; Epilepsy - partial seizures; Partial (focal) seizureAll seizures are caused by abnormal electrical disturbances in the brain. Focal seizures occur when this electrical activity is in a limited area of the brain. Sometimes the seizures stay only in one part of the brain, while at other times, the seizures can turn into bilateral tonic-clonic seizures, which affect the whole brain. This is called secondary generalization.
Bilateral tonic-clonic seizures
Bilateral tonic-clonic seizure is a type of seizure that involves the entire body. It is also called grand mal seizure. The terms generalized seizu...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleFocal seizures can be divided into whether they affect awareness or not:
- Focal, aware
- Focal, awareness impaired
Focal seizures are also classified by whether they are motor (movements with the seizures) or not.
Causes
Focal seizures are the most common type of seizure in people 1 year and older. In people older than 65 who have blood vessel disease of the brain or brain tumors, focal seizures are very common. Focal seizures are usually associated with an area of the brain in which nerve cells are easily excitable. This is often due to brain injury that can result from conditions such as stroke, infection, trauma, or from problems present at birth.
Symptoms
People with focal, awareness impaired seizures may or may not remember any or all of the symptoms or events during the seizure.
Depending on where in the brain the seizure starts, symptoms may include:
- Abnormal muscle contraction, such as abnormal head or limb movements
Muscle contraction
Muscle cramps are when a muscle gets tight (contracts) without you trying to tighten it, and it does not relax. Cramps may involve all or part of on...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Staring spells, sometimes with repetitive movements such as picking at clothes or lip smacking
- Eyes moving from side to side
- Abnormal sensations, such as numbness, tingling, crawling sensation (like ants crawling on the skin)
Numbness
Numbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but they are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or le...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Seeing, smelling, or sometimes hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
Hallucinations
Hallucinations involve sensing things such as visions, sounds, or smells that seem real but are not. These things are created by the mind.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Flushed face
Flushed face
Skin blushing or flushing is a sudden reddening of the face, neck, or upper chest due to increased blood flow.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Dilated pupils
- Rapid heart rate/pulse
Rapid heart rate/pulse
A bounding pulse is a strong throbbing felt over one of the arteries in the body. It is due to a forceful heartbeat.
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Other symptoms may include:
- Blackout spells, periods of time lost from memory
- Changes in vision
Changes in vision
There are many types of eye problems and vision disturbances, such as: Halos Blurred vision (the loss of sharpness of vision and the inability to see...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Sensation of déjà vu (feeling like current place and time have been experienced before)
- Changes in mood or emotion
Changes in mood
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Temporary inability to speak
Exams and Tests
Your health care provider will perform a physical exam. This will include a detailed look at the brain and nervous system.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) will be done to check the electrical activity in the brain. People with seizures often have abnormal electrical activity seen on this test. In some cases, the test shows the area in the brain where the seizures start. The brain may appear normal after a seizure or between seizures.
Electroencephalogram
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test to measure the electrical activity of the brain.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleBlood and urine tests may also be ordered to check for other health problems that may be causing the seizures.
Head CT or MRI scan may be done to find the cause and location of the problem in the brain.
Head CT
A head computed tomography (CT) scan uses many x-rays to create pictures of the head, including the skull, brain, eye sockets, and sinuses.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleMRI scan
A head MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is an imaging test that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the brain and surrounding...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleTreatment
Treatment for focal seizures includes medicines, changes in lifestyle for adults and children, such as activity and diet, and sometimes surgery. Your provider can tell you more about these options.
Treatment
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures over time. Seizures are episodes of uncontrolled and abnormal electrical activi...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleAdults
You have epilepsy. People with epilepsy have seizures. A seizure is a sudden brief change in the electrical and chemical activity in the brain. Aft...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleChildren
Your child has epilepsy. People with epilepsy have seizures. A seizure is a sudden brief change in the electrical and chemical activity in the brai...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleReferences
Abou-Khalil BW, Gallagher MJ, Macdonald RL. Epilepsies. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 100.
Kanner AM, Ashman E, Gloss D, et al. Practice guideline update summary: efficacy and tolerability of the new antiepileptic drugs I: treatment of new-onset epilepsy: Report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society. Neurology. 2018;91(2):74-81. PMID: 29898971 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29898971/.
Mikati MA, Tchapyjnikov D, Rathke KM. Seizures in childhood. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 633.
Wiebe S. The epilepsies. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 372.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Department of Neurology, Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.