The Thomas Haydn Trust in an aid to understanding Epilepsy has compiled this mobile dictionary, also to
help clear the jargon that is often associated within the medical fields. This dictionary is not extensive
and should not be used as a medical dictionary; it's intended for information purposes only. This dictionary is also available for download from www.thomashaydntrust.com/publications.htm in .pdf format. [Please note that this is version 1 and further updates may be availalbe]


~A~

Absence Seizure (also called Petit Mal)
A sudden-but fleeting-loss of awareness, sometimes accompanied by staring, often without any
prior warning or aftereffect.

Adjunctive Therapy
If the first drug treatment the healthcare professional prescribes is not effective enough alone, the
healthcare professional may prescribe Adjunctive Therapy-another drug that is taken along with the
first.

AED
Antiepileptic drug.

Affective
Having to do with feelings and emotional responses, including fear, foreboding, depression, happiness,
and anger.

Amnesia, Anterograde
After a seizure, difficulty in remembering events that happened just before the seizure.

Amnesia, Retrograde
After a seizure, difficulty in remembering things one used to know.

Antiepileptic Drug (also called Anticonvulsant)
A drug used to bring seizures under control.

Asymmetrical
When movements during a seizure are noticeably different on each of the two sides of the body.

Atonic Seizure (also called Drop Attack, Astatic Seizure, or Akinetic Seizure)
A brief seizure during which muscles suddenly lose their tone and go limp without warning. Can
occur as part of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Auditory
Having to do with hearing, especially buzzing, drumming, droning, or other sounds caused by a
seizure.

Aura
A warning-sometimes experienced as a feeling of strangeness-that sometimes comes just before a
seizure. An aura is itself a small seizure that affects the senses. It may, but doesn't always, become a
larger seizure that others can observe.

Automatism
A set of repetitive, involuntary motions that can happen as part of a seizure. Often the motions are
not remembered afterward. An automatism can look like a voluntary movement, and may resemble a
movement made just before the seizure began.


~B~

Bilateral (also called Generalized)
Affecting both sides of the brain or body.


~C~

Catamenial
Used to describe seizures that always or regularly occur in some specific phase of a woman's
menstrual cycle.

Cephalic
Used to describe feelings of light-headedness or headache.

Clonic Seizure (also known as Rhythmic Myoclonus)
An epileptic seizure in which certain muscle groups jerk repetitively.

Cluster A grouping of seizures within a single day or over a few days, especially when the grouping
adds up to more seizures than usually experienced.

Convulsion A seizure involving excessive and unusual muscle contractions, usually affecting both sides
of the body.


~D~

Dacrystic
Used to describe crying or sobbing associated with a seizure.

Déjà-vu
An uncanny feeling of familiarity with something unfamiliar.

Drop Attack (see Atonic Seizure)

Duration
The time from the start of a seizure (including the aura, if one occurs) until the end of the seizure
(not including any postseizure feeling or states).


~E~

Electroencephalograph (EEG)
A recording of the electrical activity of the brain, used to identify some of the characteristics of
epilepsy, such as spikes and waves.

Epileptic Seizure
An event that takes place when nerve cells fire much more rapidly and with less control than normal.
Seizures can affect movements, the senses, concentration, the ability to communicate-even
consciousness.

Epileptologist
A neurologist who specializes in treating patients with epilepsy.

Experiential
Used to describe out-of-context emotions, memories, or perceptions, including complex and vivid
hallucinations.


~F~

First-Line Therapy
The first drug treatment prescribed by a healthcare professional. If it is not effective enough alone, the
healthcare professional may prescribe Adjunctive Therapy-another drug taken along with the first.

Focal Seizure (also known as a Partial Seizure)
Focal seizures affect just one part of the brain. Partial seizures can interfere with awareness and the
ability to communicate; they can also make the body move involuntarily. Focal seizures are the most
common type of seizure. A focal seizure can stimulate emotions and the senses, make the body move,