Are Hidden Brain Seizures Causing Behavioral Issues?

The human brain is an electrical powerhouse, generating enough electricity to spark a 20-watt lightbulb. At all times, our brain cells are communicating with each other through the transmission of electrical impulses that are of a very, very low frequency. In some people, however, brain cells fire erratically creating electrical storms, or seizures, in certain parts of the brain. Lasting as little as a few seconds or up to several minutes, seizures may cause a variety of symptoms and have also been associated with a range of behavioral issues, such as attention problems, trouble controlling temper, anxiety, and more. But some seizures can go unnoticed, meaning many people don’t realize that their behavioral issues are rooted in seizure activity in the brain.

3 Common Types of Seizures

Seizures can manifest in various ways, including these 3:

1. A grand mal seizure will involve a loss of consciousness and convulsions with intense muscle contractions or jerking motions. These can last a few minutes, but when they endure for more than 5 minutes, it is a medical emergency.
2. Petit mal—or absence—seizures typically last less than 20 seconds and cause a person to “space out,” lose visual focus, blink their eyes rapidly, smack their lips, or have other unusual mouth movements.
3. Focal seizures can either stem from a small area of the brain and result in minimal symptoms—some of which may be barely noticeable—or involve multiple parts of the brain. These are known as “focal onset impaired awareness seizures” and often last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Symptoms might include:

• Seeing an aura or having visual distortions
• Having a sense of déjà vu’
• Hearing things that aren’t there
• Feeling fearful or anxious
• Other unusual sensations or behaviors

Causes of Seizures and Epilepsy

Sometimes, people will have only a single seizure in their lifetime which would be considered a non-epileptic seizure. If they have 2 or more they might get diagnosed with epilepsy, which is considered a chronic neurological disorder that can be caused by:

• Congenital or hereditary conditions
• Sensitivity to flashing lights or changes in temperature
• Acquired brain injury, such as from a stroke, tumor, infection, or lack of oxygen
• Traumatic brain injury
• Substance abuse, as well as alcohol or drug withdrawal

In addition, there are even cases where the cause of the ongoing epileptic activity is unknown According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are approximately 3.4 million people in the U.S. who have epilepsy and almost 500,000 of them are children.

The Value of Brain SPECT Imaging for Seizures

Because of the increased activity in the brain, the location of the seizure can often be identified with certain imaging procedures, including single photon emission computed tomography—or SPECT—which is used to assess blood flow patterns. It identifies 3 important things in the brain:

• Areas of normal activity
• Areas with too little activity
• Areas with too much activity—like that which occurs during a seizure

Regulating institutions in Europe and North America, as well as other places around the world, endorse the use of brain SPECT imaging for identifying the location of the seizure activity. In fact, the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine (CANM) recently updated its guidelines for SPECT. In addition to assessing for seizures, CANM also approves brain SPECT imaging for these indications:

• Suspected dementia
• Traumatic brain injury
• Inflammation, toxin exposure, and substance abuse
• Psychiatric disorders, including depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD

This groundbreaking acknowledgment of SPECT’s capability to identify certain psychiatric conditions is not only a great benefit for patients and physicians in general, but it is also relevant to those suffering from seizures. Using SPECT, a doctor can parse out the underlying cause of some of the more subtle seizure symptoms which might otherwise be attributed to a psychiatric disorder. Using SPECT, a doctor can parse out the underlying cause of some of the more subtle seizure symptoms such as those that might otherwise be attributed to a psychiatric disorder.

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A Connection to Temporal Lobe Symptoms

The temporal lobes, located on the sides of the brain, are often the site of seizure activity. They are involved with language, memory, sounds, interpreting vision, emotions, and the fight-or-flight system. Consequently, when there is an electrical storm in this part of the brain, these functions can go haywire for a short period of time, which then manifests as unusual symptoms or behavior during the course of the seizure. At Amen Clinics, our doctors have also observed on SPECT scans that some patients have higher than normal activity in their temporal lobes but don’t actually have seizures. Nonetheless, these patients might be struggling with symptoms such as feeling anxious, spacey, or fearful or even have mild hallucinations. However, on SPECT scans, anxiety disorders, spaciness—which is common in inattentive ADD—or psychotic disorders typically have very different blood flow patterns from unusual temporal lobe activity.  Therefore the treatment strategy that would normally work for these conditions may be ineffective for someone whose symptoms arise from their temporal lobes.

There is a Better Way

This is a classic example of why Dr. Daniel Amen often asks, “How do you know unless you look?” Without having the benefit of SPECT imaging to help with the differential diagnosis, a patient might be given treatments that don’t work, thus further impairing their ability to function as well as they could. By including imaging as part of a full psychiatric evaluation, the doctors at Amen Clinics are able to pinpoint the underlying areas of brain dysfunction and create an individualized treatment plan to help each patient they treat feel the best that they can. If you’re struggling with unusual brain symptoms or mental health problems, Amen Clinics is here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.