When the brain suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI), despite its severity, it is likely there will be bruising and scarring left from the trauma. We can liken a seizure to an irritation or chain reaction in the brain because of the hardened scar tissue, which the brain does not react well to. Dr. Glen Johnson uses the analogy of a room filled with mouse traps, set with ping pong balls instead of cheese. If you threw a ping pong ball into the room, before long, all the traps will be set off. Fortunately, there are some warning signs to watch out for and recognize the onset of seizures after brain trauma.
Generally, after any brain injury, neurons (brain cells) are damaged or killed and so seizures are not uncommon. These are either experienced soon after a TBI or later, although they usually become less common after a week. Seizures which do occur more than a week after the TBI tend to come back again and therefore, qualify as epilepsy. Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) is defined as a condition of recurrent seizures from a localized injury, in other words, following a trauma.
Some examples of these preictal auras are:
If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of a seizure following a recent brain trauma it's important to contact a medical professional right away to determine if you should be evaluated by a doctor.
For more information about life after a traumatic injury, check out the resources section of our website.