ketosis and epilepsy

epilepsy is a group of neurological diseasescharacterized by recurrent seizures. seizures happen as a result of a sudden surgein the brain’s electrical activities. depending on which part of the brain is affected,a seizure may manifest as loss of awareness, unusual behaviors or sensations, uncontrollablemovements or loss of consciousness. the brain is a complex network of billionsof neurons. neurons can be excitatory or inhibitory. excitatory neurons stimulate others to fireaction potentials and transmit electrical messages, while inhibitory neurons suppressthis process, preventing excessive firing. a balance between excitation and inhibitionis essential for normal brain functions.

in epilepsy, there is an up-regulation ofexcitation and/or down-regulation of inhibition, causing lots of neurons to fire synchronouslyat the same time. if this abnormal electrical surge happenswithin a limited area of the brain, it causes partial or focal seizures. if the entire brain is involved, generalizedseizures will result. partial seizures subdivide further to:- simple partial: depending on the affected brain area, patients may have unusual feelings,strange sensations or uncontrollable jerky movements, but remain conscious and awareof the surroundings. - complex partial seizure on the other handinvolves a loss or changes in consciousness,

awareness and responsiveness. generalized seizures subdivide further to:- absence seizures: this type occurs most often in children and is characterized bya very brief loss of awareness, commonly manifested as a blank stare with or without subtle bodymovements such as eye blinking, lip smacking or chewing. people with absence seizures may not be awarethat something is wrong for years. kids who start having absence seizures inearly years stand a good chance of outgrow them without treatment. - tonic seizures are associated with stiffeningof muscles and may cause the person to fall,

often backwards. - atonic seizures, also known as drop attacks,are characterized by a sudden loss of muscle tone, which may cause the person to collapseor drop down. - clonic seizures are associated with rhythmicjerking muscle movements. most commonly affected are the muscles ofthe neck, face, arms and legs. clonic seizures are rare. - myoclonic seizures are brief jerks or twitchesof a muscle or a group of muscles. there can be one or many twitches occurringwithin a couple of seconds. - the most common and also most dramatic aretonic-clonic seizures, also known as convulsive

seizures, which are combinations of musclestiffening and jerking. this type is what most people relate to whenthey think of a seizure. it also involves sudden loss of consciousnessand sometimes loss of bladder control. a tonic-clonic seizure that lasts longer than5min requires immediate medical treatment. epilepsy may develop as a result of a braininjury, tumor, stroke, previous infection or a birth defect. generalized seizures that start in childhoodare likely to involve genetic factors. epilepsy due to a single gene mutation israre. more often, an interaction of multiple genesand environmental factors is responsible.

hundreds genes have been implicated. examples include genes encoding for gaba receptors– major components of the inhibitory circuit, and ion channels. many genetic disorders that cause brain abnormalitiesor metabolic conditions have epilepsy as a primary symptom. the cause of epilepsy is unknown in abouthalf of cases. diagnosis is based on observation of symptoms,medical history, and an electroencephalogram, or eeg, to look for abnormal brain waves. an eeg may also help in differentiating betweenpartial and generalized seizures.

genetic testing maybe helpful when geneticfactors are suspected. there is no cure for epilepsy but varioustreatments are available to control seizures. medication successfully controls seizuresfor about 70% of cases. many anti-epileptic drugs are available whichtarget sodium channels, gaba receptors, and other components involved in neuronal transmission. different medicines help with different typesof seizures. patients may need to try several drugs tofind the most suitable. dietary therapy: ketogenic diet has been shownto reduce or prevent seizures in many children whose seizures could not be controlled withmedication.

ketogenic diet is a special high-fat, low-carbohydratediet that must be prescribed and followed strictly. with this diet, the body uses fat as the majorsource of energy instead of carbohydrates. the reason why this helps control epilepsyis unclear. nerve stimulation therapies such as vagusnerve stimulation in which a device placed under the skin is programmed to stimulatethe vagus nerve at a certain rate. the device acts as a pacemaker for the brain. the underlying mechanism is poorly understoodbut it has been shown to reduce seizures significantly. finally, a surgery may be performed to removepart of the brain that causes seizure.

this is usually done when tests show thatseizures are originated from a small area that does not have any vital function.