ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS AND DRUGS
FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
DR. MASIKA
2025
, ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS
Pathophysiology
• Seizures-episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain causing
involuntary movements, sensations or thought.
• Epilepsy is a group of related disorders in the brain's electrical systems that are
characterized by a tendency to cause recurrent seizures which are normally
preceded by an aura accompanied by characteristic changes in the EEG
• Seizures cause changes in movement, behaviour, sensation, or awareness,
including loss of consciousness or convulsions, which last from a few seconds to
a few minutes in most cases
Symptoms
• Epileptic seizures produce many different symptoms; which range from whole
body convulsions to simply staring into space to barely noticeable muscle
twitching. Each type of seizure has a distinct set of symptoms.
, Causes
The precise cause for epilepsy is largely unknown for about half of all epileptic
patients
However, there are a number of conditions that can result in epilepsy including
• Genetic influence - Certain genes predispose to environmental conditions that
trigger seizures e.g. flickering lights
• Traumatic/severe head injuries
• Prenatal injury/Birth defects - brain damage caused by several factors, such as
an maternal infection, poor nutrition or oxygen deficiencies
• Deprivation of oxygen to the brain
• Brain d/orders that damage the brain - tumors or strokes
• Infectious diseases e.g. meningitis, AIDS & viral encephalitis
• Developmental disorders e.g. autism and neurofibromatosis
, Types of seizures
• 2 main Types of seizures in epilepsy
• Partial (focal seizures)-no alteration of consciousness or thought
- Partial seizures originate in one cerebral hemisphere, and the patient does
not lose consciousness during the seizure, Commonest
• Generalized seizures - Grand mal, petit mal
- Arise in both cerebral hemispheres and involve loss of consciousness
1. Partial seizures
Involve one side of the brain, classified as simple or complex
Simple seizures - involve a single part of the brain such as the motor area,
sensory area, or others.
Symptoms related to the area affected; e.g., motor area will result in alteration
of motor activity such as a jerking finger or hand movement, or if in the sensory
area, hearing sounds or smell of odours that are not present
FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
DR. MASIKA
2025
, ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS
Pathophysiology
• Seizures-episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain causing
involuntary movements, sensations or thought.
• Epilepsy is a group of related disorders in the brain's electrical systems that are
characterized by a tendency to cause recurrent seizures which are normally
preceded by an aura accompanied by characteristic changes in the EEG
• Seizures cause changes in movement, behaviour, sensation, or awareness,
including loss of consciousness or convulsions, which last from a few seconds to
a few minutes in most cases
Symptoms
• Epileptic seizures produce many different symptoms; which range from whole
body convulsions to simply staring into space to barely noticeable muscle
twitching. Each type of seizure has a distinct set of symptoms.
, Causes
The precise cause for epilepsy is largely unknown for about half of all epileptic
patients
However, there are a number of conditions that can result in epilepsy including
• Genetic influence - Certain genes predispose to environmental conditions that
trigger seizures e.g. flickering lights
• Traumatic/severe head injuries
• Prenatal injury/Birth defects - brain damage caused by several factors, such as
an maternal infection, poor nutrition or oxygen deficiencies
• Deprivation of oxygen to the brain
• Brain d/orders that damage the brain - tumors or strokes
• Infectious diseases e.g. meningitis, AIDS & viral encephalitis
• Developmental disorders e.g. autism and neurofibromatosis
, Types of seizures
• 2 main Types of seizures in epilepsy
• Partial (focal seizures)-no alteration of consciousness or thought
- Partial seizures originate in one cerebral hemisphere, and the patient does
not lose consciousness during the seizure, Commonest
• Generalized seizures - Grand mal, petit mal
- Arise in both cerebral hemispheres and involve loss of consciousness
1. Partial seizures
Involve one side of the brain, classified as simple or complex
Simple seizures - involve a single part of the brain such as the motor area,
sensory area, or others.
Symptoms related to the area affected; e.g., motor area will result in alteration
of motor activity such as a jerking finger or hand movement, or if in the sensory
area, hearing sounds or smell of odours that are not present
