Living With Epilepsy

How Does Epilepsy Affect Thinking and Memory?

How Does Epilepsy Affect Thinking and Memory 

Epilepsy is one of the scariest disorders in the world because it can severely affect major functions of our body such as our capacity to think and remember things. If your loved one is suffering from epilepsy, it’s important that you do your best to help them cope with their condition without making them feel like they’re a burden to you. 

Before trying to understand how epilepsy affects a patient’s memory, you must first understand how our memory generally works. Memory is one of the most important abilities of the brain. It functions in three ways: 

Learn – It receives new information and comprehends what it means.

Store – When the new information is comprehended, it is then stored inside the brain.

Retrieve – If there’s a need to recall that particular information, the brain “searches” for it inside its storage bin. 

Secondly, our brain possesses several types of memories:

Long Term Memories – These are memories that we have retained for several years. Semantic memories refer to factual knowledge while episodic memories refer to episodes or events in our lives that we can recall.

Remote Memories – These refer to memories that happened far back in the past.

Recent Memories – These refer to any fact or incident that happened in recent times and which we can recall.

Prospective Memories – These refer to things or intentions meant for future use.

Short Term Memories – These refer to information that we may deliberately or unconsciously store inside our minds in a temporary basis only.

Procedural Memories – These refer to information we’ve stored inside our brains in relation to how a particular thing or process is accomplished. 

And now, we go to the link between epilepsy and memory. The sad thing is all the functions and types of memories are vulnerable to epilepsy. Any or all of them can be affected at any time. 

CAUSES OF EPILEPTIC EFFECTS ON THINKING AND MEMORY

There are several reasons why the memory and thinking functions of a patient’s brain are affected by epilepsy. The more frequent seizures happen, the more difficult it is for the patient to revert back to normal. 

Seizures – Which part of the brain is affected by an epileptic seizure will have its corresponding consequence. If the frontal lobe, for instance, is the unfortunate target of an epileptic seizure, the patient will have a hard time recalling what it intends to do in the future. 

Drugs – The medications that the patient takes to treat its condition may have negative side effects and which might include causing memory or thinking problems. The higher the dosage, the more probable it is for the patient to experience side effects because of its medication. 

Surgery – Some epileptic patients may be required to undergo surgery as part of their treatment. If this happens, it’s also possible that the patient will experience memory problems after the operation. 

Moods – The way a person feels about his condition can also lead him to experience memory problems later on. As he feels more and more depressed, his brain is slowly affected as well. 

Age – The older the patient, the more probable it is for him to experience memory problems as well. In this case however the result is to be expected. 

How to Help Your Loved Ones Cope with Memory and Thinking Problems Caused by Epilepsy 

Firstly, it’s important that you make your loved one accept his situation. If he insists on denying what’s happening to him, he won’t be able to move on and help himself. 

Secondly, you must make it clear that he’s not to blame, and that you naturally don’t blame him for his condition. Let him feel that he’s not a burden to any of you. 

Start getting used to listing down things on sticky notes so that anytime your loved one forgets something because of his condition, he’ll only have to look at those notes to remember. 

Never show impatience or frustration when your loved one is exhibiting difficulty in recalling something. Doing so is the surest way of alienating your loved one and making him unable to confide his problems to you. 

Epilepsy can make your family disintegrate…or it can make you all closer to each other. Obviously, it’s better if the latter happens, but that will only be possible if all of you work together.

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Epilepsy News:

MSN

Live Search: epilepsy site:msnbc.msn.com
Search results

FDA probes suicide link to epilepsy drugs - Mental health- msnbc.com
The Food and Drug Administration has begun a preliminary inquiry into whether epilepsy drugs might increase the risk of suicidal behavior in some patients.
Push to prevent epilepsy after brain injury - More health news- msnbc ...
Survivors of traumatic brain injuries ? from car-crash victims to soldiers wounded in Iraq ? face an extra hurdle as they recover: Thousands of them will develop epilepsy ...
Epilepsy patients advised to try newer treatments - More health news ...
The number of drugs approved to treat epilepsy has doubled in the past decade, offering long-needed alternatives to some patients. But too few doctors know how to best use the new ...
Epilepsy drug shown to reverse obesity in rats - Diet and nutrition ...
An epilepsy drug being tested for use in treating addiction can help obese rats shed weight, government researchers said on Wednesday.
FDA strengthens epilepsy drug warnings - Health care- msnbc.com
The FDA Wednesday strengthened warnings on certain drugs used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and nerve pain.

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Google

epilepsy - Google News
epilepsy - Google News

Cyberonics Reports Strong Sales Growth and Profitability in Fiscal ... - Mark...

International Business Times
Cyberonics Reports Strong Sales Growth and Profitability in Fiscal ...
MarketWatch - Nov 19, 2008
Net sales of $36.0 million, a 24% increase from $28.9 million, -- Net US product sales attributable to the epilepsy indication increased by an estimated 32% ...
Cyberonics Swings To Q2 Profit On Top Line Growth; Lifts FY09 ... RTT News
all 476 news articles
November Is National Epilepsy Awareness Month - Kansas City infoZine

November Is National Epilepsy Awareness Month
Kansas City infoZine, MO - 12 hours ago
Jefferson City, MO - infoZine - Missourians made more visits to emergency room hospitals for epilepsy in 2006 compared to 2000, and educating people about ...
U.Va.'s Dr. Jaideep Kapur Named Vice President of American ... - University o...

U.Va.'s Dr. Jaideep Kapur Named Vice President of American ...
University of Virginia, VA - 17 hours ago
Internationally recognized for his research in epilepsy, Kapur's laboratory is concerned with understanding the mechanisms underlying status epilepticus, ...
Gene Associated With Epilepsy Discovered - Science Daily (press release)

Gene Associated With Epilepsy Discovered
Science Daily (press release) - Nov 18, 2008
18, 2008) ? A University of Iowa-led international research team has found a new gene associated with the brain disorder epilepsy. While the PRICKLE1 gene ...
MSU physician works to help epilepsy victims in Africa - Media Newswire (pres...

MSU physician works to help epilepsy victims in Africa
Media Newswire (press release), NY - 9 hours ago
EAST LANSING, Mich. th Michigan State University physician Gretchen Birbeck has witnessed firsthand the effects epilepsy can have on people living in ...

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Yahoo!

Yahoo! News Search Results for epilepsy
Yahoo! News Search Results for epilepsy

Removing Part Of Brain Controls Girl's Epilepsy (Science Daily)
Surgeons told Jessica Nelson one of the scariest things she will ever hear as a parent: they wanted to treat her daughter's epilepsy by cutting out or disconnecting half of her brain. Then something extraordinary happened: it worked.
Foundation works to dispel epilepsy myths (Berwyn Life)
November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, but the staff of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago makes it their job to open the minds of west suburban residents to the condition year-round.
International Team Finds Gene Associated With Epilepsy (Medical News Today)
A University of Iowa-led international research team has found a new gene associated with the brain disorder epilepsy. While the PRICKLE1 gene mutation was specific to a rare form of epilepsy, the study results could help lead to new ideas for overall epilepsy treatment. The findings, which involved nearly two dozen institutions from six different countries, appear in the Nov.
Epilepsy Foundation (KAMR Amarillo)
A local non-profit association has now become a national chapter. The High Plains Epilepsy Association has been in West Texas for over 30 years. They serve 79 counties in the panhandle. And today they are being named the newest chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America.
Discovery of new gene linked to epilepsy (News-Medical-Net)
A University of Iowa-led international research team has found a new gene associated with the brain disorder epilepsy.

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