Temporal lobe seizure

Alternative names:

psychomotor seizure; seizure - psychomotor; seizure - temporal lobe

Symptoms:

Aura (preliminary, warning symptoms):

• abnormal sensations
• epigastric sensations ("a funny feeling in my gut," "stomach rising", and so on)
• hallucinations or illusions (vision, smells, tastes, or other)
• sensation of deja vu or recalled emotion/memory
• sudden, intense emotion not related to anything occurring at the time
• consciousness maintained during the seizure or spell (partial)
• consciousness reduced or lost during the seizure or spell (partial complex)

Motor/movement disturbances:

• rhythmic muscle contraction/relaxation (clonic activity)--rare
  • affecting 1 side of the body
  • affecting 1 arm, leg, part of face, or other isolated area

Other focal motor (movement) symptoms:

• abnormal mouth behaviors
  • lip smacking
  • chewing or swallowing without cause
  • profuse salivation ("slobbering")

• abnormal head movements
  • forced turning of the head
  • forced turning of the eyes
  • usually in the direction opposite of the location of the lesion

• abnormal movements
  • repetitive movements such as picking at clothing (automatism)

Focal sensory (sensation) symptoms:

• abnormal sensations
  • numbness, tingling, crawling sensation, etc.
  • occurring in only one part of the body or spreading
  • preceding motor symptoms
  • sensory hallucinations (visual, hearing, touch, and so on)

Autonomic symptoms:

• abdominal pain or discomfort
• nausea
• sweating
• flushed face
• dilated pupils (eyes)
• rapid heart rate/pulse

Other symptoms:

• changes in vision, speech, thought, awareness, personality
• loss of memory (amnesia) regarding events around the seizure (partial complex seizure)

Signs and tests:

Diagnosis of temporal lobe seizure is suspected primarily on the basis of the symptoms presented and the results of testing. Diagnosis of the cause may include complete physical examination including detailed neuromuscular examination, which may or may not be normal.

• An EEG (electroencephalograph, recording of brain electrical activity) shows characteristic changes confirming partial (focal) seizures and may show the focus (location of the cause).
• A head CT scan or a cranial MRI may show the location and extent of the causative lesion.