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Hydranencephaly Resources in caring for a Child with Hydranencephaly Physical Care of a Child with Hydranencephaly Difficult Times
Pt. 1: Taking Care of You Book: Caring for Your Child With Hydranencephaly
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Epilepsy GlossaryGlossary of Terms
Related to Epilepsy & Seizures abrupt onset, impairment of consciousness, and staring followed by an abrupt return to baseline function. If a person is speaking when the absence seizure occurs, he or she will stop talking, stare and when the brief seizure is over, resume the sentence as if nothing had occurred. In fact the person usually does not even recognize that a seizure occurred Adjunctive: Additional, add on. As in adjunct or adjunctive therapy, concerning a drug which is added to an existing medication. Affect: Mood, level of emotional responsiveness.
Affective:
Concerning or influencing mood and level of responsivenessAmygdala: Part of the limbic system of the brain. Seizures arising in this area include a rising sensation in the stomach, nausea, movements of the mouth, chewing, fear, panic, and flushing of the face and other autonomic symptoms. Anoxia: Lack of oxygen.
Aphasia: Defect in or loss of the ability to express oneself using speech, writing, or signs, or to comprehend spoken or written language as a result of injury to or disease of the brain's speech centers.
Apnea: Cessation of breathing.
Apraxia: Loss of ability to carry out familiar, purposeful movements, especially inability to make proper use of an object.
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM): A tangle of blood vessels in the brain, may produce seizures when they bleed.
Aspartate: An excitatory neurotransmitter. Atonic Seizures:
Seizures that involve a loss of tone in the
head, upper torso or whole body. In the most severe cases, children with Autoinduction: A process whereby the body learns to metabolize (process) an antiepileptic drug, such as carbamazepine (Tegretol) more effectively over time, requiring a higher dose to control seizures than was initially needed.
Automatism: Involuntary, undirected movements during complex partial seizures and atypical absence seizures.
Autonomic nervous system: System of the brain that controls key bodily functions not under conscious control, such as heartbeat, breathing, sweating. System may be affected by seizures.
Blood level: The concentration or amount of antiepileptic or other drug present in the bloodstream, usually expressed as micrograms or nanograms per milliliter.
C
Catamenial epilepsy: Epilepsy in which there is a tendency for a woman's seizures to occur primarily at the time of menstruation. Clinical trials: Multi-phased, organized systems of testing new drugs in human populations, and subsequent analysis of the results. Complex Partial Seizures: Seizures that involve an alteration in a child's level of consciousness coupled with changes in motor activity (e.g., jerking of one extremity or side of the body) and automatisms (e.g., repetitive chewing, swallowing, pick at clothes). Compliance: Refers to patient adherence to physician directions for taking antiepileptic drugs. Computerized tomography (CT): A scanning method that uses X-rays and computers to create images of the internal structure of the brain, produced at different levels, in a series of 'slices.' Convulsive syncope: A seizure caused by fainting in which the supply of oxygen to the brain is limited. Corticography: Direct recordings of brain activity from the surface of the cortex, usually during brain surgery. Cryptogenic: The cause is hidden or occult. Cyanosis: A bluish discoloration, particularly of the skin and mucous membranes, due to lack of oxygen. Dose-related effect: A negative side effect produced by high dosage of an antiepileptic or other type of drug. Drop Attacks: A term used by some clinicians that lumps atonic and tonic seizures together and labels them as "drop attacks." Dysmemnesia: Impaired memory. Dysphasia: Difficulty in swallowing. E
EEG : An EEG or electroencephalogram is a recording of the electrical activity of the brain. EEG/Video Monitoring: Simultaneous EEG and video recording between and during seizures. It can be prolonged monitoring lasting from hours to days. Encephalopathy: Any degenerative disease of the brain. Epidural electrode placement: Placement of electrodes on or outside the dura mater, a membrane covering the surface of the brain. Epilepsia partialis continua: A prolonged simple partial seizure affecting movement. Epilepsy: A disease characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy currently afflicts an estimated 40 million people worldwide and approximately 2.3 million in the United States alone. Epileptic Seizure: An abnormal, excessive, sudden discharge of the neurons in the brain. In essence, a seizure is like experiencing an "electrical storm of the brain." Epileptiform: Appearing to be like epilepsy, as in an epileptiform discharge on an EEG. Epileptogenic: Causing epilepsy or an epileptic response. F Focal seizure: Older term for partial seizure.
Focus: Identified area of the brain from which partial seizures arise.
G
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA): A neurotransmitter which inhibits neuronal firing. Generalized Onset Seizures: Discharges that begin in one part of the brain then travel throughout the brain. Generic: The name of the drug as opposed to a brand name developed by the manufacturer. Glutamate: An excitatory neurotransmitter. Grand Mal Seizures: See Tonic-Clonic Seizures. Gustatory: Related to the sense of taste. Half-life:
Length of time needed for half of a substance to decay or be metabolized. In
epilepsy, refers to the half-life of an Hemiplegia: Paralysis of one side of the body. Hyperventilation: Rapid, deep breathing. Use in EEG testing may produce abnormalities or even a seizure. Hypsarrhythmia: A distinctive EEG pattern associated with infantile spasms in babies. I Ictal: Pertaining to, characterized by, or caused by an epileptic seizure.
Idiopathic: No underlying cause other than a possible inherited predisposition.
Idiosyncratic reaction: With reference to medication side effects, describes unusual sensitivity or an allergic-like reaction to a drug which others take without problems.
Intractable: Not responding to treatment.
Magnetic resonance imaging: An imaging method using magnets instead of X-rays. Produces detailed pictures of the internal structure of the brain.
Mechanism of action: How a drug or physical process works in the body.
Minor motor seizure: An older term for a partial seizure affecting movement.
Monotherapy: Treatment with a single drug. Myoclonic Seizures: Myoclonic seizures are usually bilateral (predominantly in the arms), irregular, arrhythmic, and can occur singularly or repetitively. These jerks may be so intense that some patients fall. The seizures usually occur shortly after awakening
and can interfere with dressing, combing hair, brushing teeth and activities in the kitchen (e.g., dropping plates and glasses).
Myoclonic seizures are often brought on by sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol or menstruation.
N Neoplasia: Formation of new and abnormal cell growth.
O Olfactory: Related to the sense of smell. Onset: Beginning. As in age of onset, referring to the age at which the condition began. P Paroxysmal: A sudden outburst or eruption.
Partial Onset Seizures: Discharges in small parts of the brain. Petit Mal Seizures: See Absence Seizures. Pharmacokinetics: The behavior of drugs in the body, specifically rates of absorption, achievement of peak levels, and metabolism.
Photic stimulation: Stimulation of the brain through intense or flashing light or alternating patterns of light and dark.
Positron emission tomography (PET): An imaging technique that shows metabolic activity in the brain.
Postictal Period:
The time following a seizure, where the child will be very tired and usually
sleeps. Recovery back to baseline Prodromal: Indicating the onset of a disease. In epilepsy, indicating the onset of a seizure.
Prognosis: The expected course or outlook for a given medical illness.
Psychic (as in psychic symptoms): Referring to emotional, intellectual or mood effects.
R Refractory: Difficult to treat, unresponsive or of limited response to medication.
Simple Partial Seizures:
Seizures that transiently disrupt or alter speech, motor activity, vision, smell
or taste. Simple partial Single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) An imaging technique to measure blood flow in the brain. Slowing: A type of EEG wave associated with lower levels of arousal, sleepiness, drugs, and the after effects of seizures. Somatosensory: Related to bodily sensation.
Steady state: A state of balance or equilibrium. Refers to drug levels which stay steady so long as the rate of metabolism is balanced by continued intake of enough medication to replace what has been used up.
Subdural electrode placement: Placement of electrodes deep in the brain. Symptomatic: Arising from a suspected or known cause. T Therapeutic range: Blood levels at which a drug can be expected to produce a beneficial effect without toxicity. Tonic Seizures:
Tonic seizures involve stiffening of all extremities and can also lead to
falling. At times, it is hard to tell visually Tonic-Clonic Seizures: Tonic-clonic seizures (previously called grand mal) begin with stiffening of all extremities (tonic phase) followed by rhythmic jerking of all extremities (clonic phase). The tonic phase usually lasts about 30 to 60 seconds, and the clonic phase one to two minutes. The overwhelming majority of tonic-clonic seizures last less than three minutes. Transient Hemiplegia: Temporary paralysis of one side of the body.
Trough level: In blood level monitoring of antiepileptic drugs, the minimum level of drug in the blood prior to absorption of the next dose. V Versive: Turning as in involuntary turning during a seizure. Vertigo: Dizziness. Video/EEG Monitoring: Simultaneous EEG and video recording between and during seizures. It can be prolonged monitoring lasting from hours to days. Other pages in this
section:
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August 16, 2001- January 12, 2005 This website is funded in loving memory of Jason S. by his mother Kammy The information on this site is provided by families, caregivers, and professionals who are or have been caring for a child with Hydranencephaly. Please report any broken links or missing photos to angelbearmom@shaw.ca
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