epilepsy aka seizure disorder which is a chronic neurological disorder in which groups of neurons in the brain sometimes send the wrong electrical or chemical signals and cause seizures. but having a seizure does not mean you have epilepsy! it's considered a curable disease rather than a disorder. seizures are abnormal electrical/chemical activity in the brain. excitation of neurons which is one of the responses caused by specific neurotransmitters binding to receptors on a neuron, exciation increases the probability that the neurotransmitter will be released by the neuron. it is greater than the inhibition of neurons which is the effect of one neuron upon another tending to prevent it from initiating impulses. with seizures there is often loss of consciousness and convulsions and may be preceded by an aura such as feelings of fear, change of taste and anxiety.
electrical and chemical signals of seizures. electrical signals is an imbalance of calcium and sodium, it causes hyperactivity of those neurons. with chemical signals there is an imbalance with neurotransmitters glutamate and gaba. excitatory is too high and inhibitory is too low. gaba is inhibitory and glutamate is excitatory. the imbalance of the two will induce a seizure.
antiepileptic drugs. drugs affecting voltage-gated sodium (Na) channels: phenytoin (Dilantin), carbamazepine (Tegretol) and lamotrigine (Lamictal). the drugs affecting calcium (Ca) channels: ethosuximide (Zarotin) and valproic acid (Depakene). affecting GABA activity: gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) which are also used for neuropathic pain, diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia. there is one drug that is not understood how it works but it does called levetiracetam (Keppra).
