Description.

Focal emotional seizure

A seizure characterized by alterations in mood or emotion, or the appearance of altered emotion without the subjective emotion, at seizure onset. These emotional seizures may occur with or without objective clinical signs of a seizure evident to the observer.

Focal emotional seizure with anger

A seizure characterized by the presence of anger, which may be accompanied by aggressive behavior. This is a rare seizure type, anger and aggression, if present, are mostly seen in the post-ictal period. This seizure type localizes to prefrontal or mesial temporal regions of the brain. Focal emotional seizures with anger are distinguished from tantrums and rage reactions by the absence…

Focal emotional seizure with crying (dacrystic)

A seizure characterized by the presence of stereotyped crying, this may be accompanied by lacrimation, sad facial expression, and sobbing. The subjective emotion of sadness may or may not be present. These seizures often accompany focal emotional seizures with laughing in the setting of a hypothalamic hamartoma. They can also occur in seizures arising in frontal…

Focal emotional seizure with fear/anxiety/panic

A seizure characterized by the presence of fear, worry, anxiety or panic as an expressed or observed emotion, at the outset of the seizure. Because of the unpleasant nature of these seizures, patients may also have anticipatory anxiety about having seizures. These seizures arise in mesial temporal networks, especially the amygdala. They can be distinguished from panic…

Focal emotional seizure with laughing (gelastic)

A seizure characterized by bursts of laughter or giggling, usually without appropriate related emotion of happiness, and described as ‘mirthless’. This seizure type is characteristic of seizures arising in the hypothalamus, but can occur in seizures arising in the frontal or temporal lobes.

Focal emotional seizure with pleasure

A seizure characterized by the presence of a positive emotional experience with pleasure, bliss, joy, enhanced personal well-being, heightened self-awareness or ecstasy. This is a rare seizure type, seen in seizures arising in the anterior insular cortex.

Focal sensory auditory seizure

A focal seizure characterized by elementary auditory phenomena including buzzing, ringing, drumming or single tones. More complex auditory hallucinations such as voices are considered a focal cognitive seizure. Focal sensory auditory seizures involve auditory cortex in the lateral superior temporal lobe.