Transcript: Sudden confusion is a common symptom of certain types of seizure, but it is also a symptom that can be caused by one of many seizure imitators! One common condition that can produce sudden confusion that may look like a seizure is a transient ischemic attack, or TIA. TIAs occur when blood flow to the brain is interrupted briefly, causing the brain to temporarily stop working. This can cause a variety of different responses, depending on what part of the brain is deprived of blood. A TIA affecting the speech memory or senory-motot centers of the brain can produce confusion, tingling, weakness, or other symptoms that imitate a seizure.Another common confusion imitator-as most of us know from our own experience-is uncontrollable sleepiness. Some people who are “asleep on their feet” at inappropriate times may be thought to be experiencing a partial seizure. These people may be excessively sleepy because of missed or interrupted sleep, medication side effects, or a sleep disorder. Two common sleep disorders are sleep apnea, in which breathing stops and starts during sleep, and narcolepsy, a neurological disorder involving sleep/wake cycles. A. People with narcolepsy can experience cataplexy, B. which is a sudden loss of muscle tone and falling at a point of high emotion. This is commonly called getting “weak in the knees.” But whether it stems from narcolepsy or other causes, sleep confusion usually results in an irresistible sleepiness before the attack, as well as the ability to be woken up during the attack. These factors allow doctors to distinguish a sleep problem from a seizure.During the night, some people sleepwalk, act out their dreams, or have screaming attacks called night terrors. These episodes can raise a question of seizures once again.Since some seizures do occur primarily during sleep, a medical evaluation may be needed. In the early stages of a migraine headache, some patients may experience an aura, which involves seeing shapes, colors or lights, and may include lightheadedness or dizziness. People who are experiencing an aura may find it hard to think straight. A migraine aura is confusing, and-particularly in cases where the other symptoms of headache are not prominent-can be misdiagnosed as seizures. Another seizure imitator which is fairly common is called transient global amnesia, or TGA. During a TGA attack, a person suddenly loses the ability to form new memories and often asks the same questions over and over. A TGA usually lasts just a few hours. While TGAs are frightening, they are probably harmless and do not require treatment, just the correct diagnosis. One final condition that causes seizure-like confusion is delirium, or encephalopathy. Delirium is prolonged confusion that waxes and wanes. Hundreds of medical conditions, including common ones like infection or fever, can produce delirium. When delirium comes and goes, a legitimate question arises as to whether the person experiencing it is having repeated small seizures. A careful neurological evaluation including an EEG of brainwaves may settle the question. If you or someone close to you may have undiagnosed seizures, or if you think your seizures may actually be symptoms caused by an imitating condition, please seek medical attention.