Temporal lobe seizure

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Temporal lobe seizure

Alternative Names:

TLE; Seizure - temporal lobe
Symptoms:

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The early warning symptoms (called an aura) include:

Abnormal sensations
Epigastric sensations ("a funny feeling in my gut," "stomach rising,")
Hallucinations or illusions (vision, smells, tastes, or other sensory illusions)
Sensation of deja vu, recalled emotions or memories
Sudden, intense emotion not related to anything occurring at the time
Consciousness maintained during the seizure or spell (partial)
Consciousness reduced or lost during the seizure or spell (partial complex)

Movement disturbances include:

Abnormal mouth behaviors
- Lip smacking
- Chewing or swallowing without cause
- Profuse salivation "slobbering"
Abnormal head movements
- Forced turning of the head
- Forced turning of the eyes
- Usually in the direction opposite of the location of the lesion
Repetitive movements, such as picking at clothing
Rhythmic muscle contraction and relaxation (rare) -- affecting one side of the body, one arm, leg, part of face, or other isolated area

Abnormal sensations include:

Numbness, tingling, crawling sensation
Occurring in only one part of the body or spreading
Preceding motor symptoms
Sensory hallucinations (visual, hearing, touch, etc.)

Autonomic symptoms include:

Other symptoms include:

Changes in vision, speech, thought, awareness, personality
Loss of memory (amnesia) regarding events around the seizure (partial complex seizure)

Signs and tests:

Diagnosis of temporal lobe seizure is suspected primarily on the basis of the symptoms presented and the results of testing. Diagnosis may include a complete physical examination, including a detailed neuromuscular examination, which may or may not be normal.

An EEG (electroencephalograph, recording of brain electrical activity) shows characteristic changes confirming partial (focal) seizures and may show the focus (location of the cause).
A head CT scan or a cranial MRI may show the location and extent of the causative lesion.
A lumbar puncture may be necessary if there is suspicion of an infection causing the seizure.