Transcript: Different types of seizures can produce profoundly different effects. In this video, Dr. Fisher will explain why different kinds of partial seizures affect people in different ways.  A partial seizure begins with an electrical discharge in one limited area of the brain. How a partial seizure affects someone depends on whether it is a simple partial seizure or a complex partial seizure, and where in the brain it occurs.  A. Different parts of the brain control different functions.  B. The cortex or “thinking Other deeper brain structures relate to life-support functions, movement, and other semi-automatic behaviors.part” of the brain is divided into four lobes: C. frontal, D. temporal, E. parietal and F. occipital.  At the back end of the frontal lobe is the motor strip, which signals muscles to move.  A seizure in this part of brain will cause uncontrolled movements or twitching, lasting for a few seconds to a few minutes. A. Towards the top of the motor strip are nerves controlling the leg muscles. B. Lower down, are nerves controlling the trunk, then the arms, fingers, face, and mouth.  If a seizure spreads along the motor strip, the twitching can “march” along the different parts of the body.  Just behind the motor strip is the skin sensation area.  A seizure here will cause tingling in the affected part of the body. However, tingling in the skin usually is not due to seizures.  The back lobe of the brain is the occipital lobe. It contains brain cells responsible for vision. Seizures in the occipital lobe can produce flashing lights, shimmering lines, or visual hallucinations. These vision abnormalities must be distinguished from those produced during migraine headaches, a condition different from epilepsy.  The temporal lobe is the part of brain most prone to develop seizures.  The temporal lobe is responsible for many complex activities, including the formation and retrieval of memories, and control of emotional states.  If a temporal seizure spreads to both temporal lobes, then the manifestations of the seizure increase, with a pause in ongoing activities, confusion, temporary memory loss and fragmentary automatic behaviors.  This type of seizure is called a complex partial seizure.  It is the most common type of seizure in adults, and it used to be called a “psychomotor seizure” or a “temporal lobe seizure.” However, some complex partial seizures originate in other lobes of the brain. A. In general, when awareness, memory, and consciousness are preserved during the seizure, then a seizure is called “simple partial.”  B. However, if any are impaired then the seizure is called “complex partial.”   Someone experiencing a complex partial seizure lives in a moment-to-moment world.  During this time, he or she may repeat the same phrase or action over and over in an automatic loop, not recognizing the repetition.   This person may also fumble hands, smack the lips, or grab tightly on to things during the seizure. This automatic activity is called an automatism.  Others just freeze in place and stare blankly, with no automatisms and hardly any movement.  After a complex partial seizure, people don’t remember what was said to them or even what they did during the seizure.  Later, the memory starts working again, except for a gap during the seizure.  Understanding what occurs during a seizure begins with the insight that there are different kinds of seizures, each with a different impact.  If you or someone close to you is suffering from seizures, please see a physician immediately.  “The movies in this series can be viewed in any order.  If you wish to watch these clips in their original sequence, the next clip is, “What are the different types of generalized seizures?”