Brain trauma and epilepsy: at the pace of the Jacksonian march
April 4, 1835 was born British neurologist John Hyulings Jackson, who has studied in detail one of the types of secondary epilepsy, in which the damaged cortex of the brain. Subsequently, this type of pathology was named after the doctor and is now known as Jacksonian epilepsy. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the key reasons for the development of this disease. MedAboutMe understood, how often is a complication occurs, whether it always affects the cortex of the brain and under what symptoms you want to record to the doctor for an examination (to enroll in the first reception is most conveniently on the phone).
What is Jacksonian Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic disease in which, due to uncontrolled excitation of brain cells, seizures of varying intensity occur mainly. If the pathological center is located in the cortex of the brain of the brain, in the precentral or postcentral gyrus, it is a Jacksonian epilepsy. At one time, the study of this particular type of pathology helped not only to better understand the causes and symptoms of the disease itself, but also to study the functions of different zones of the cortex .
Various cerebral injuries, including tumors, infections, and vascular anomalies, can lead to Jacksonian epilepsy. But traumatic brain injury remains one of the main risk factors. At the same time, modern researchers note that open injuries most often lead to cicatricial changes in the cerebral cortex. But multiple bruises with closed TBI can damage the hippocampus, and in this case, the symptoms of post-traumatic epilepsy will differ from the classic Jacksonian form.
Early attacks after trauma
Epilepsy is a chronic condition. According to the definition of the World Health Organization, it is permissible to talk about such a diagnosis only if the person has had at least two unprovoked seizures. In this case, traumatic brain injury causes similar disorders, which are called post-traumatic seizures. If they appear during the first days after injury, they are differentiated as urgent, if in the first 7 days – as early. Therefore, seizures that occur within a week after TBI are referred to by neurologists as a direct brain reaction to injury. In this case, there is no talk of epilepsy yet.
Depending on the severity of the injury, similar symptoms develop in almost half of the victims – they have one early attack, without repetition. In some patients, 2-3 seizures may occur in the first week after the injury, but later there will be no relapses.
Moreover, late post-traumatic convulsions sometimes appear – one seizure more than 7 days after a head injury. This single seizure occurs in approximately 20% of those affected.
To what extent the presence of post-traumatic seizures correlates with the development of real epilepsy is not fully understood. Some doctors consider them prognostically dangerous, while others are inclined to believe that they are not associated with a chronic disease. Still, seizures in the first week after TBI should be the reason for a detailed diagnosis. If a person is not hospitalized, he must make an appointment with a doctor for a consultation. Often, early attacks are associated with subdural hematoma, which requires separate treatment.