Temporal lobe epilepsy
| Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Lobes of the brain, temporal lobe in pink | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | neurology |
| ICD-10 | G40.1-G40.2 |
| ICD-9-CM | 345.4 |
| DiseasesDB | 29433 |
| MedlinePlus | 001399 |
| eMedicine | neuro/365 |
| Patient UK | Temporal lobe epilepsy |
| MeSH | D004833 |
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a chronic disorder of the nervous system characterized by recurrent, unprovoked focal seizures (also known as partial seizures) that originate in the temporal lobe of the brain and last about one or two minutes. TLE is the most common form of epilepsy with focal seizures.
People with TLE may experience simple partial seizures that only affect the temporal lobe or complex partial seizures that spread to other regions of the brain. During simple partial seizures, some people remain conscious. Depending on the areas of the brain affected, people with TLE may experience chest discomfort, nausea, unexplained emotions (e.g., intense joy or fear), or loss of awareness (e.g., staring or repetitive behaviors like blinking, twitching, pacing, etc.). They might also be in a dream-like state and have changes in consciousness, strange sensations, or have hallucinations and see, hear, feel, smell, or taste things that are not real. Some people report auras (warnings that a seizure is approaching), usually described as intense feelings of déjà vu or fear. Usually auras are actually the focal seizure itself, but some people do develop a regular progression of symptoms before each seizure that can serve as a warning.
TLE is usually diagnosed in childhood or by the teenage years. Physicians diagnose TLE by taking a medical history, blood tests, and brain imaging (EEG, CT scan, PET, and/or MRI). It can have a number of causes such as head injury, stroke, brain infections, structural lesions in the brain, or brain tumors, or it can be idiopathic and have no apparent cause. The first line of treatment is through anticonvulsant medication. Surgery may be an option for some people, especially when there is an observable abnormality in the brain. Another treatment option is electrical stimulation of the brain through an implantation called the vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device.
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