Pharmacology of Antiepileptic Drugs

Generalized Tonic-Clonic Tonic Clonic Seizures
• Recruitment of neurons throughout the cortex
• Major convulsions, usually with two phases:
• 1) Tonic phase: muscles will suddenly tense up, causing the
person to fall to the ground if they are standing.
• 2) Clonic phase: muscles will start to contract
• and relax rapidly, causing convulsions
• Convulsions:
− motor manifestations
− may or may not be present during seizures
− excessive neuronal discharge
• Convulsions appear in Simple Partial and Complex Partial
Seizures if the focal neuronal discharge includes motor centers;
they occur in all Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures regardless of
the site of origin.
• Atonic and absence Seizures are non-convulsive
•