Master Types of Seizures with Picmonic for Physician Assistant

The tonic phase of a tonic-clonic seizure is described as stiffening of the body for several seconds. During the tonic phase, extraocular movements, apnea, and tongue biting may occur. This phase is also associated with activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

The clonic phase of a tonic-clonic seizure is characterized by rhythmic jerking of the extremities for 30 to 40 seconds. This jerking occurs because, in the clonic phase, muscles spasm and then relax.

Absence seizures, formerly known as “petit mal” seizures, typically occur in children or early adolescents. They are described as brief staring spells or “daydreaming.” These seizures can often go unnoticed and can occur up to 100 times a day if untreated.

A myoclonic seizure is where the patient experiences a sudden, excessive jerking of the body or extremities. Typically, these are brief and occur in clusters, and these jerks are very forceful.

Atonic seizures, or “drop attacks,” involve a sudden loss of muscle tone. The patient falls to the ground, but not before briefly losing consciousness. Patients with atonic seizures have a high risk of head injury and can be seen wearing protective helmets.

Partial seizures are also known as focal seizures and begin in one hemisphere of the brain or a specific region of the cortex. Thus, the seizures show symptoms specific to the affected part of the brain. There are focal aware (formerly called simple partial) and focal impaired awareness (formerly called complex partial) seizures, describing if consciousness is maintained or lost.

In a focal aware seizure, the person maintains consciousness but experiences unusual feelings or sensations. These experiences include emotional feelings, tastes, sounds, visual phenomena, and physical sensations.

In focal impaired awareness seizures, patients have a loss or impairment in consciousness. They can experience a daydream-like feeling or develop temporarily strange behaviors called automatisms (unconscious repetitive movements).