"What is Jacksonian Epilepsy?"
What is Jacksonian Seizure?
Jacksonian seizure is a relatively common type of seizure in clinical medicine, renowned for its symptoms resembling the poses in Jackson's mechanical dance. Its symptoms involve partial and spontaneous motor onset, characterized by episodic, recurrent, and spontaneous remission.
Pathology of Jacksonian Epilepsy
Epilepsy arises from intermittent dysfunction of the central nervous system caused by repeated and excessive discharge in the brain. Epileptic activity may only involve a localized area of the cerebral cortex without spreading, leading to simple partial seizures. The excitation originates in the precentral gyrus or postcentral gyrus and spreads to adjacent neurons through increased extracellular calcium ions after discharge, resulting in Jacksonian seizures. These seizures often propagate from the cerebral cortex to the midbrain and the porous structures of the cerebral cortex via descending projection fibers, causing loss of consciousness and then spreading throughout the cortex via the diffuse midbrain projection system, triggering secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
Classification of Jacksonian Seizures
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Exercise-Induced Jacksonian Seizure
Clinical manifestations include sudden toe twitching and numbness during leg movement, gradually progressing towards the proximal end along the right side of the body and right upper limb until the fingertips, accompanied by a sensation of the lower right side and upper limb "dropping," and the twitching extending to the face with the eyes fixed to the right.
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Post-Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Secondary Jacksonian Seizure
Belonging to post-operative secondary Jacksonian seizures, they begin with thumb twitching on the left hand, spreading to the entire right upper limb, followed by convulsions on the right side of the body and then generalized convulsions, eventually leading to unconsciousness, with no significant change in physical function.
Manifestations of Jacksonian Seizures
Jacksonian seizures are a unique type of partial seizures, initially manifesting as simple partial spontaneous motor onset, gradually spreading to the entire body and potentially causing consciousness disturbances. For instance, a patient may initially experience thumb twitching on the left hand, gradually progressing to the entire right upper limb, then the right side of the body, and finally generalized convulsions, potentially leading to unconsciousness. Typically, after a seizure, patients' physical functions remain unchanged, but some patients with partial motor seizures may experience temporary paralysis of the affected limbs, lasting from minutes to hours before recovering. This transient paralysis post-seizure is known as Todd's paralysis or Todd's paresis. The occurrence of Todd's paralysis often indicates an underlying organic brain disease, necessitating further examination to identify the cause. Recurrent seizures pose a significant threat to patients' health, thus emphasizing the importance of avoiding triggering factors and minimizing seizures.
