BBC - General Psychology 4.5

Question: Now that you have discussed structures of the brain. What are some of the malfunctions that occur in differing structures of the brain?


Response:

As I brought up before my sister has epilepsy. Most of the Children in my family have had it, but she was the only one who did not outgrow it. I'm sure you all know what a seizure is but maybe you do not know the cause of it. "An epileptic seizure is a transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms resulting from abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain" (Fisher et al 2005). One could simply call this occurrence a misfire of neurotransmitters. There are scores of types of seizures and they all act out differently. Some are a total loss of motor controls resulting in jolting and shaking (the common idea of a seizure) or can be completely opposite where a person will lose motor skills but simply not be able to move and seemingly "zone out". Seizures can also be triggered by different things. Mine were always triggered by high doses of caffeine or sugar. Many times a person will not remember the episode which sometimes can be very embarrassing due to loss of bodily control sometimes including incontinence. There are many ways to help a person in an episode but you should be properly trained to do so.

Word Count - 203

Sources:

Fisher RSet al (2005) Epileptic seizures
and epilepsy: definitions proposed by the
International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)
and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE).
Epilepsia. 46, 4, 470-472.

NCYP99 Solomon N, McHale K(2012) An overview of epilepsy in children and
young people. Date of acceptance: March 3 2012. Updated:June 6 2012.

Experience