Our physicians and providers have experience treating all types of epilepsy including, but not limited to:
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME): The most common form of childhood epilepsy syndromes. Symptoms include myoclonic jerks (jerking movements) upon awakening from sleep. This is not to be confused with normal hypnic jerks, which most people experience as they drift off to sleep. Hypnic jerks are normal and are not related to epilepsy.
Myoclonic status elepticus: Multiple myoclonic (jerking) seizures lasting more than five minutes, usually brought on by sleep deprivation or a missed medication dosage.
Temporal lobe epilepsy: The most common form of partial (localized in one area of the brain) epilepsy. Symptoms include an altered state of feelings, emotions, thoughts, memories or hallucinations lasting a few seconds to a couple minutes. Intensity ranges from mild to severe.
Medial temporal lobe epilepsy: Seizures occur inside the hippocampus of the brain.
Neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy: Seizures occur in the outer part of the temporal lobe of the brain. Other names for temporal lobe seizures are complex partial seizure (if there is loss of consciousness) and simple partial seizure (if there is no loss of consciousness).
Frontal lobe epilepsy: Characterized by brief seizures. Sometimes large movements of arms or legs, screaming, or grimacing expressions are present, depending on the part of the frontal lobe that is affected. After the seizures, the affected person is often confused or tired.
Progressive myoclonic epilepsy: A rare genetic disorder, with onset ranging from infancy to adulthood. It is a combination of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures. Seizures become progressively difficult to control over time. Cognitive (thinking) and movement abilities become impaired.
Benign rolandic epilepsy: A form of pediatric-onset epilepsy, characterized by twitching or numbness in the face or tongue, lasting for less than two minutes. No loss of awareness occurs. Seizures usually stop by about age 15.
Infantile spasms (West syndrome): Characterized by multiple, brief, one-second seizures, sudden jerking followed by stiffening. Most common upon awakening from sleep. Onset is typically between the 3-12 months of age. It usually stops by age 4. Most children are developmentally delayed later in life. Many children develop other kinds of epilepsy.
Dravet Syndrome: This syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation. It is diagnosed in infancy. The first seizure is often accompanied by a fever. Some children will experience developmental disability. This is a form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy.
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome: A rare disorder, first diagnosed in early childhood. It affects speech and language understanding. Seizures occur during sleep. Seizure control with medication can be effective.
Rasmussen’s Syndrome: Characterized by seizures, muscle weakness and neurological problems such as thinking or memory ability. Language problems may be present if the disorder affects the language center in the brain, usually the left side.
Ring Chromosome 20 Syndrome: A genetic disorder that can cause issues starting from birth to age 17. Childhood development is usually normal before the onset of mild seizures at night. Behavioral problems and learning disabilities are part of this diagnosis.
Reflex Epilepsy: Characterized by seizures that have specific triggering events, such as flashing lights. An effective strategy is to avoid the problematic stimulus. Medication therapy can also be effective.
Our treatment approach for your epilepsy will depend on many factors, including the type of epilepsy you've been diagnosed with, your overall health and other factors. Treatments may include:
