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Seizures after brain injury

Some people have seizures after a brain injury due to changes in damaged brain tissues. Seizures may occur right away after a brain injury or they may occur later. Once they occur, a person may be susceptible to further seizures. Medications that prevent seizures may be prescribed. There are different types of seizures and they can be difficult to recognize. Tests such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) may help in the diagnosis. Seizures are usually relatively brief, without significant, lasting consequences. However, occasionally seizures last longer and cause more persistent or even life-threatening problems.

What is a seizure?

Seizures are the result of excessive discharges among groups of nerve cells in the brain. The brain and nervous system normally function using electro-chemical signals. These signals allow nerve cells to communicate with each other.

When the brain is injured, sometimes groups of surviving brain cells change and produce excessive electro-chemical discharges. When these discharges spread to neighboring nerve cells and nerve cells in other parts of the brain, brain functioning is disrupted. This disruption is called a seizure. Seizures are sometimes called convulsions.

Seizures can occur in persons with or without brain damage. Some people are born with a condition that makes them prone to seizures. Seizures may be provoked by stressors to the brain, such as alcohol or sleep deprivation, in persons with or without brain injury.