Significance

• Seizure types generally fall into one of two main classes: primary generalized seizures and partial seizures. The distinction between the two classes of seizures is the type of electrical charge that initiates the seizure. For a partial seizure, the electrical discharge is isolated to one area of the brain, as opposed to a widespread discharge as seen in primary generalized seizures.
  
  

Causes

• Often the discharge that causes the seizure can be attributed to a head injury, infection in the brain, previous stroke or a tumor. However, there are instances in which the cause of the partial seizure is unknown.
  
  

Types

• There are three different types of partial seizures: simple, complex and secondarily. The distinction between the types of partial seizures is based upon whether consciousness was impaired or preserved and to what degree.
  
  

Symptoms of Simple Partial Seizures

• Simple partial seizures can vary greatly, but the common element is that the person remains alert and can remember the events of the seizure. They typically last less than 2 minutes and are accompanied by motor, sensory, autonomic or psychic impairment.
  
  

Symptoms of Complex Partial Seizures

• Complex partial seizures generally last 30 seconds to 2 minutes and are also followed by a short period of confusion or impairment (typically 15 minutes). The seizure starts in a small area of the temporal or frontal lobe of the brain and then radiates to other areas of the brain. Convulsions are generally not seen, and the outward appearance is more often a blank stare and an overall loss of awareness and memory.
  
  

Symptoms of Secondary Generalized Seizures

• Secondary generalized seizures occur when a burst of electrical activity in a specific part of the brain spreads throughout both some of the brain until it manifests itself as a generalized seizure. The first part of the seizure, which is classified as a partial seizure, is typically very short and can often go unnoticed. The entire seizure generally lasts no more than a few minutes and is classified by its convulsive phases.