

This can help identify where seizures start in the brain.


Seizures in TLE include focal aware seizures, such as auras, and focal impaired awareness seizures. Testing helps guide doctors, people with epilepsy, and families about possible cognitive risks (attention, memory, and learning) compared to benefits of seizure control. Neuropsychological testing is important for any person considering epilepsy surgery.This is called the non-dominant side of the brain, which for most people is the right side. This is especially true when hippocampal sclerosis is on the side of the brain that is not involved with language.In this case, surgery to remove the area causing the seizures is the best option for many people. When the MRI is abnormal, seizures often do not stop with medication. Right Mesial Temporal Sclerosis (MTS) with FlairĪlso, see arrow in figure at the top of the page. It may look like the hippocampus on one side, or both, has shrunk or is smaller. This is called hippocampal sclerosis (sclerosis means hardening or scarring). One of the most common findings is scarring in the temporal lobe. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is often associated with changes or abnormal findings on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). There are a lot of older names for seizures that occur in TLE, including "psychomotor seizures," "limbic seizures," "temporal lobe seizures," "complex partial," and "simple partial." The modern name for these seizures is "focal onset seizures." Focal seizures are then described by whether a person stays awake and aware or has impaired awareness during a seizure. Usually a person has had a seizure with fever or an injury to the brain in their early years. Medial temporal lobe epilepsy usually begins around age 10 or 20, but it can start at any age. Neocortical or lateral temporal lobe epilepsy involves the outer part of the temporal lobe.MTLE accounts for almost 80% of all temporal lobe seizures. Seizures often begin in a structure of the brain called the hippocampus or surrounding area. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) involves the medial or internal structures of the temporal lobe.
