psychomotor seizure

psychomotor seizure,

a temporary impairment of consciousness characterized by psychic symptoms, loss of judgment, automatic behavior, and abnormal acts. It is often associated with temporal lobe disease. No apparent convulsions occur, but there may be loss of consciousness or amnesia for the episode. During the seizure the individual may appear drowsy, intoxicated, or violent and may commit asocial acts or crimes, but normal activities, such as driving a car, typing, or eating, may continue at an automatic level. Psychic symptoms, including visual and auditory hallucinations, a sense of unreality, and déjà vu, may be present and may be accompanied by visceral symptoms, such as chest pain, transient respiratory arrest, tachycardia, and GI discomfort, and by abnormal sensations of smell and taste. Also called psychomotor epilepsy.

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seizure

1. the sudden attack or recurrence of a disease.

2. a convulsion or attack of epilepsy.

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audiogenic seizure

a seizure brought on by sound.

cerebral seizure

an attack of epilepsy.

epileptiform seizure

see epileptiform.

focal seizure

see partial seizure (below).

generalized seizure

see grand mal seizure (below).

grand mal seizure

one with no localizing signs. After a brief period of restlessness, there is unconsciousness, generalized muscular activity, excessive salivation, chewing activity, opisthotonos, running movements, and often urination and defecation. The most common type of seizure in dogs and cats.

Jacksonian seizure

see Jacksonian epilepsy.

partial seizure

one restricted to a focus in the brain; signs correspond to the area affected, e.g. motor activity of an isolated area or limb, hallucinations such as fly catching, apparent blindness, behavioral abnormalities, etc. Called also focal seizures.

petit mal seizure

a mild, very brief generalized seizure. See also petit mal.

photogenic seizure

a seizure brought on by light.

psychomotor seizure

motor seizures accompanied by a psychic stage. There are hallucinations, salivation, pupillary dilatation, mastication, fecal and urinary excretion, and wild running. Seen in dogs with lesions in the pyriform lobe or hippocampus and from poisoning with agenized flour (canine hysteria). Called also running fits.

tetanic seizure

see tetany.

seizure threshold

the level of stimulation at which a seizure is precipitated.

tonic seizure

one in which the muscles are rigid.

tonic-clonic seizure

alternating tonic (rigid muscles) and clonic (jerking of muscles) phases; a grand mal seizure.

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psychomotor seizure

Complex partial seizure, psychomotor epilepsy, temporal lobe epilepsy Neurology A seizure disorder involving abnormal discharge of neurons of the temporal lobe with episodic changes in behavior accompanied by loss of consciousness, with retention of capacity to respond to environmental stimuli. See Paraphilia.