temper load epilepsy

my 17 year old was diagnosed with temper load epilepsy.  can you explain to me just what this is and how it will effect him.  he was diagnosed with add when he was younger

[HFHS M.D.-SW]

Dear Bucky,

It must be difficult trying to cope with your son's illness.

I persume you mean Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE).

TLE are seizures with elaborate and multiple sensory, motor, and/or psychic components. A common feature is the clouding of consciousness and amnesia for the event. Some clinical manifestations may include more complex behaviors like burst of anger, emotional outbursts, fear, or automatisms. The EEG often reveals spike discharges in the temporal lobe during sleep.

The significance of the left temporal lobe depends on whether the person is left or right handed. In right handed people this is the dominant hemisphere and the temporal lonbe plays a very important role in speech and memory, especially the formation of short term memory. Damage to this are including ongoing seizure activity can cause memory problems. In an adult a single seizure from this area should no cause longterm problems but ongoing seizure activity can cause memory problems. These seizures may be very subtle, involving only staring and automatic movements of the hands or lips , there does not necessarily have to be a full-blown convulsion to suggest significant epileptic activity in this area.

Fortunately, treatment is available through a neurologist that may be able to greatly reduce or completely prevent the seizures.

Best Wishes,


HFHS M.D.-SW