What are they like?

They are remarkably different from person to person, depending on the part of the brain where they begin. The one thing they all have in common is that the person remains alert and can remember what happens. Here are a couple of experiences:

• "I almost enjoy them. The feeling of déja vu, as if I've lived through this moment and I even know what's going to be said next. Everything seems brighter and more alive."
• "It is a pressure that starts in my stomach, then rises to my chest and throat. When it reaches my chest, I smell an unpleasant odor of something burnt. At the same time I feel anxious."

Sometimes the seizure activity spreads to other parts of the brain, so another type of seizure follows the simple partial seizure. This can be a complex partial seizure or a secondarily generalized seizure.

How long do they last?

Only a short time, usually less than 2 minutes.

Tell me more

Doctors often divide simple partial seizures into categories depending on the type of symptoms the person experiences:

Motor seizures:

These cause a change in muscle activity. For example, a person may have abnormal movements such as jerking of a finger or stiffening of part of the body. These movements may spread, either staying on one side of the body (opposite the affected area of the brain) or extending to both sides. Other examples are weakness, which can even affect speech, and coordinated actions such as laughter or automatic hand movements. The person may or may not be aware of these movements.

Sensory seizures:

These cause changes in any one of the senses. People with sensory seizures may smell or taste things that aren't there; hear clicking, ringing, or a person's voice when there is no actual sound; or feel a sensation of "pins and needles" or numbness. Seizures may even be painful for some patients. They may feel as if they are floating or spinning in space. They may have visual hallucinations, seeing things that aren't there (a spot of light, a scene with people). They also may experience illusions—distortions of true sensations. For instance, they may believe that a parked car is moving farther away, or that a person's voice is muffled when it's actually clear.

Autonomic seizures:

These cause changes in the part of the nervous system that automatically controls bodily functions. These common seizures may include strange or unpleasant sensations in the stomach, chest, or head; changes in the heart rate or breathing; sweating; or goose bumps.

Psychic seizures:

>These seizures change how people think, feel, or experience things. They may have problems with memory, garbled speech, an inability to find the right word, or trouble understanding spoken or written language. They may suddenly feel emotions like fear, depression, or happiness with no outside reason. Some may feel as though they are outside their body or may have feelings of déja vu ("I've been through this before") or jamais vu ("This is new to me"— even though the setting is really familiar).

Who gets them?

Anybody can get them. They may be more likely in people who have had a head injury, brain infection, stroke, or brain tumor but most of the time the cause is unknown.

What's the outlook?

These seizures often can be controlled by seizure medicines.

What else could it be?

Medical disorders such as, stomach disorders or a pinched nerve can cause some similar symptoms. Hallucinations can accompany psychiatric illness or the use of certain drugs. And some symptoms (such as déja vu) are experienced by almost everyone at some time. Whether the symptoms represent simple partial seizures depends on how often they occur and whether they are associated with other episodic changes or other seizure types.

How is the diagnosis made?

A complete medical history and physical examination can help to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms and assess the likelihood of epilepsy.

Topic Editor: Steven C. Schachter, M.D.
Last Reviewed:12/15/06