Symptoms:

Patients with focal seizures can have any of the symptoms below, depending on where in the brain the seizure starts.

Patients with simple focal seizures do not lose consciousness. They will be aware of and remember the events that occur at the time.

Patients with complex partial seizures may or may not remember any or all of the symptoms or events during the seizure.

• Abnormal muscle contraction
  • Muscle contraction/relaxation (clonic activity) -- common
  • Affects one side of the body (leg, part of the face, or other area)
  • Abnormal head movements
  • Forced turning of the head
• Staring spells, with or without complex, repetitive movements (such as picking at clothes) -- these are called automatisms and include:
  • Abnormal mouth movements
  • Lip smacking
  • Behaviors that seem to be a habit
  • Chewing/swallowing without cause
• Forced turning of the eyes
• Abnormal sensations
  • Numbness, tingling, crawling sensation (like ants crawling on the skin)
  • May occur in only one part of the body, or may spread
  • May occur with or without motor symptoms
• Hallucinations
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Flushed face
• Dilated pupils
• Rapid heart rate/pulse

Other symptoms include:

• Blackout spells -- periods of time lost from memory
• Changes in vision
• Sensation of deja vu
• Changes in mood or emotion

See also:

• Epilepsy
• Seizures