Epilepsy Essay

Submitted By cckb420
Words: 516
Pages: 3

There are many different injuries that can affect the brain. Some injuries that affect the brain can be permanent, meaning that there is no treatment to re-do the damage that has been caused. Other injuries that impact the brain can go through treatment processes that work on re-gaining strength in the areas that have been affected. You don’t always have to of caused physical damage to the brain in order to have an injury. Illness can also cause the brain to not work correctly. Epilepsy is a common illness that affects the brain. Epilepsy is a disorder in the nervous system that produces sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain. These bursts can cause seizures which can affect muscle control, movement, speech, vision, and awareness. There are two types of seizures caused by epilepsy; the first type is called Partial seizures. These seizures begin in a specific location of the brain, and may only affect one side of the body and awareness. The second type of seizures is called generalized seizures. This type of seizure affects the entire surface of the brain and the whole body. During a seizure the brain sends out neurons that may fire at 500 times a second. This is much higher then the average person. There are many different things that can cause epilepsy, although most epilepsy cases occur during childhood or over the age of 60. Though epilepsy can develop at any age,there are also things that can cause epilepsy to happen such as: serious head injuries, strokes, brain tumors, or Alzheimer's disease. All can affect the brains electrical system. To diagnose a person with epilepsy disorder the most common way is by a EEG Monitoring test. The EEG records brain waves detected by electrodes placed on the scalp. It then detects the abnormalities in the brains electrical activity. People who have an epilepsy disorder still show the changes in brain waves even if they are not undergoing any seizures. Other methods used by