Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has recurrent seizures. A seizure is defined as an abnormal, disorderly discharging of the brain’s nerve cells, resulting in a temporary disturbance of motor, sensory, or mental function. Epilepsy is like a short circuit in the brain, just as the short circuit in the house fuses off all the electrical appliances, the short circuit in the brain fuses off brain and the brain stops functioning for few minutes.
There are many types of seizures, depending primarily on what part of the brain is involved. The term epilepsy says nothing about the type of seizure or cause of the seizure, only that the seizures happen again and again. A stricter definition of the term requires that the seizures have no known underlying cause. This may also be called primary or idiopathic epilepsy. Episodes of abnormal electrical activity within the brain result in seizures. The specific area of the brain affected by the abnormal electrical activity may result in a particular type of seizure.