Absence Seizure-Includes an interruption to consciousness where the person experiencing
the seizure seems to become vacant and unresponsive for a short period of time.
ADA- Americans with disabilities act.
Atonic Seizure- Atonic seizures involve the loss of muscle tone, causing the person to fall
to the ground.
Atypical- Irregular; not conformable to the type.
Cerebral- Of or pertaining of the cerebrum or the brain.
Corpus Collosotomy- In a corpus callosotomy surgery, some or all of the fibers are cut to
disable communication from one side of the brain to another, thus reducing generalized
and drop attack seizures.
Dysphagia- Difficulty in swallowing.
Electroencephalography- The recording of the electric currents developed in the brain, by
means of electrodes applied to the scalp, to the surface of the brain.
Febrile Seizure- A seizure characterized by a fever.
IDEA- Individuals with disabilities act.
IVIG- Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) is a blood product administered intravenously. It
contains the pooled IgG immunoglobulins (antibodies) extracted from the plasma of over
one thousand blood donors.
Ketogenic Diet- The Ketogenic diet is a diet consisting of high fats and low carbohydrates
and is used to treat children with severe epilepsy including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who
have not responded well to anti-epileptic medicines.
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome- A rare form of epilepsy which is typically onset between 2-6
years of age and is characterized by frequent seizures and multiple seizure types.
Modified Atkins Diet- The Modified Atkins diet is used to treat children with severe epilepsy
including LGS and is similar to the Ketogenic diet with less restrictions.
Monotherapy- A therapy which uses only one drug.
Myoclonic Seizure- Involves a brief, rapid contraction of muscles and can result in sudden
jerks of the muscles.
NIH- National Institutes of Health
NINDS- National Institute of Nuerological Disorders and Stroke.
Partial Seizure- Partial seizures cause no interruption of consciousness and may cause a
sensory experience (perception of smells, sounds, voices, etc). Partial seizures are limited
to a specific area of the brain.
Progressive- Advancing; going forward; going from bad to worse; increasing in scope or
severity.
Refractory- Not readily yielding to treatment.
Status Epilepticus- Status epilepticus is a continuous seizure state with no recovery
between seizures. If a tonic-clonic seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, it is a
life-threatening condition and emergency care should be seeked immediately.
Tonic Clonic (Grand Mal)- Tonic-clonic seizures involve an initial stiffening of the muscles
(tonic phase) followed by rhythmic jerking (clonic phase).
Vagus Nerve Stimulator- The Vagus Nerve Stimulator or VNS, is a small device which is
implanted through surgery to help control seizures through electrical impulses.
