What is Epilepsy?
19:14 Share

And now, it's time for Who Smarted? Psst, hey smarty pants! For today's episode, I'll be joined by two very special guests from history whom you may have heard of. First, Napoleon Bonaparte, former Emperor of France who tried to conquer much of Europe. And also, Mr. Charles Dickens, famous British author who wrote classic novels such as A Christmas Carol. 🎵

Thanks to the magic of podcasting, they are both here with me right now. Bonjour. This recording booth is very small, no? Cheers. I had great expectations about being here until I saw Napoleon. Don't get your knickers in an Oliver twist. Okay, okay, you two. I didn't bring you here to fight or write. I brought you here because you both have something in common. Smartypants, do you know what it is?

Uh-huh. Uh-huh. I heard some of you say they are both no longer alive, which fortunately is not a problem for being on Who Smarted, but while that is true, there is something else they have in common. Believe it or not, smarty pants, they were both thought to have epilepsy. I thought we were to talk about my military triumphs and my famous literary works and how famous I am. I

I'm still famous, oui? Yes, you're both still famous, but the reason you're here is something you're not as famous for, but what could be very helpful to me and the smarty pants listening. For starters, I wanted the smarty pants to know that, despite possibly having epilepsy, you both went on to become hugely influential historical figures, for better or worse. Don't make me conquer this recording studio. Hmm.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was hoping we could answer some questions about epilepsy, such as what is epilepsy? What happens when someone has a seizure? What are the different kinds of epilepsy? And how is epilepsy treated? What a novel idea. Actually, I only have 15 minutes. Get ready to find out the answers to those questions and more as we take another whiff of science and history on...

Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up! Everyone makes smarting lots of fun on Who's Smart? Do you want to spend another summer stuck at home? Hey, Jim! How's your back? Uh, you know. I hear ya. Leave the small talk behind because Disney and Pixar invite you on an out-of-this-world adventure. Engaging hyperspeed. This is awesome!

On June 20th. Welcome to the community. Prepare to be conquered. But I just got here. Follow me. What is this place? These are the lava tunnels. I am not

Disney and Pixar's Elio. In theaters June 20th. Tickets available now. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. Okay, smarty pants. Unlike my guests who lived a long time ago and are no longer with us, epilepsy is still around. In fact, there's a good chance you know someone with epilepsy or you might even have it yourself. But what exactly is epilepsy?

As the writer of The Lot, allow me to explain. In short, epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the brain and causes people to have recurrent involuntary seizures and unpredictable episodes of abnormal brain activity. Wow, that is a lot to take in. Smartypants, the word neurological refers to the nervous system which includes your brain, spinal cord, and nerves. As for the other big word Stickins used, recurrent means something that occurs regularly.

Regularly and involuntary means something that happens without your conscious control. So, in other words, epilepsy is a condition that takes place in your brain and causes regularly occurring seizures that you can't control. Just like I said. Yes. But also, what exactly is a seizure? Smarty pants, true or false, a seizure is a temporary episode of abnormal brain electrical activity.

The answer is true. Which isn't to say your brain runs on electricity like an electric car. What is this electricity? What's a car? Oh boy, I'll explain later. Remember, smarty pants, it's not always easy when you bring a couple of people back from history. Anyway, back to your brain. Your brain cells use electrical signals created by neurons to communicate and transmit information to each other.

However, when a person has epilepsy, those signals might work in an unusual way. And since your brain controls your body, it may cause a seizure. Smarty Pants, how many types of seizures are there? Is it A, one type, B, two types, or C, three types?

The answer is C. While all seizures are different, they are now classified into three major groups called focal onset, generalized onset, and unknown onset.

These categories mostly have to do with where seizures start. Do you mean where you are located when you have the seizure? No, I mean where it starts in your brain. For instance, focal onset seizures start on one side of your brain, while generalized onset seizures affect both sides of your brain at the same time. And what about the third, the onset?

Unknown? Unknown onset seizures, as you might guess, are when the beginning of a seizure is not known. Interesting. I must say, you certainly know much more about it than we did. During my time, people just called epilepsy the falling sickness. Yes, these days people are using much better terms. But that brings up the next question. What exactly happens to someone during a seizure? Smarty Pants, do you know? It beats the dickens out of me, no offense.

None taken, but I do want to know the answer.

The answer is seizures are different for everyone. Seizures could be as subtle as making you stare into space, or it may involve shaking uncontrollably as your muscles tighten and relax quickly or stop moving. In some cases, people may even fall down. But it's important to remember an epileptic seizure does not always involve someone rolling on the floor and foaming at the mouth. Excellent point, Sir Narrator. Smarty Pants, true or false? Seizures usually cause brain damage.

The answer is false. While seizures involve the brain, they usually do not cause brain damage. Ooh, that's a relief. Do people know when they are going to have a seizure? Most seizures happen suddenly, but sometimes there are warning signs. Such as? Some people might get a funny taste in their mouths or a strange feeling in their stomachs. Of course, those things can also happen from eating something that's not so good. Who wants meatcake? Meatcake? That sounds disgusting.

Um, it's not not disgusting. Anyway, some other signs of seizures can include tugging at your clothes, going stiff, twitching movements, staring into space for a few moments, or having an arm or leg suddenly move on its own. Ah, yes, I have had all of those, or so they tell me. Right. Sometimes people know what's happening when they have a seizure, and sometimes they don't find out until the seizure is over. But why...

But what does it feel like to have a seizure? Even for a writer like myself, it can be hard to describe exactly what a seizure feels like. But for most, it's a strange sensation marked by uncontrollable twitching. I often lose consciousness. Same. Wow, that sounds unlike anything I've ever felt. Smarty Pants, I'm going to name some things, and I want you to call out whether you think they can cause an epileptic seizure. Ready? Getting too much sleep. Not getting enough sleep.

Playing too much video games. Not playing enough video games. A brightly lit room. Flashing lights or strobe lights.

Great job, Smarty Pants. I heard a lot of you getting those right. A lot of my seizures were caused by stress. Oh yeah, that's another one. Just remember, Smarty Pants, if you have epilepsy, try to get lots of sleep and keep an eye on how much video game time you play in a day. What in the dickens are video games? We did an episode on them. I'll play it for you later. Let's stick to the topic at hand. Smarty Pants, true or false? Doctors today know why people have epilepsy. True.

True. Sorry, guys. The answer is actually false. I would have thought that today's modern medicine would have figured it out. You'd think. While many things have changed for the better since your time, doctors still don't always know why people have epilepsy. In part because there isn't just one cause.

But if you or someone you know has a seizure, it's important to see a doctor so they can run some tests. I see. And what tests would a doctor run? Well, the doctor might do a CAT scan. Cats? Meow. Do cats cause seizures? No, no, no. A CAT scan or CT scan has nothing to do with cats. Meow.

It's a way to look inside your body. A doctor might also do an MRI or electroencephalogram. That sounds more terrifying than the ghost of Christmas past.

Yeah, those might not sound like fun, but they can help doctors try to find what caused a seizure and see if you might have more seizures. It's also important for a doctor to know what happens to you before, during, and after a seizure. An adult can help you keep track of this with a seizure diary or an app on their phone. What's in the dickens is an app. Or a phone. Oh boy. Let's stick to something you guys are more well-versed in. History.

History. Smarty Pants, when did people start to understand epilepsy as the possible cause of seizures? Ooh, this I think I know. Oh, me too. Me too. Well, we'll reveal the answer right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors. Hey, parents. Trusty here with something really smart for your Smarty Pants. I've got nieces, nephews, and close family friends, some homeschooled, some traditional school. And lately, there's one tool they all seem to be using, iXL.

One of my nephews was really struggling with reading comprehension. His parents tried IXL, and within a couple of weeks, he was not only keeping up, he was excited to read. Then my niece, who's super into math, started exploring topics way beyond her grade level. That's the beauty of IXL. It's flexible. Kids can move at their own pace in any subject across any grade.

A friend's daughter loves the instant feedback and little rewards. It's fun, not stressful. And the parents, they love how easy it is to find the exact topic they're covering that week.

iXcel is organized, saves them time, and actually helps the kids feel more confident. If you're homeschooling or just want to supplement what your child is learning in traditional school, iXcel is a game changer. Get 20% off at iXcel.com slash smarted with the code smarted. That's iXcel.com slash smarted, code smarted.

Learning that's flexible, fun, and perfect for your smarty pants. That's IXL. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. So I'll be honest, I put off building our new website for way too long. I think part of me was waiting for the perfect moment or thought I needed to hire someone or take a design course or something. Total nonsense, because then I tried Squarespace. And yeah, I was hooked in an hour.

Squarespace is this all-in-one platform that makes it ridiculously easy to bring an idea to life online, whether you're starting a business, launching a project, or just want to finally claim your little corner of the internet. I used it to build a clean professional site in a weekend. No coding, no overwhelm, just drag, drop, done. I

I used their Blueprint AI tool to start, and it generated a smart, customized layout just from a few questions about what we do. So if you've been waiting to launch your site, this is your sign. Head to squarespace.com slash smarted for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use code SMARTED to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Hey, Smarty Pants, you know how much we love sharing super cool facts here on Who Smarted, right? Well, I've got another super cool fact for you. The podcast Snoop and Sniffy is absolutely awesome. Now get this, Snoop and Sniffy are these brilliant dog detectives who help kids like you level up your sleuthing skills. We're talking problem solving, deductive reasoning,

the whole nine yards. And they do it by going on the most hilarious crime-solving adventures you've ever heard. One day they're meeting magic cockapoos. Magic cockapoos, smarty pants. The next, they're rumbling with something called the Barking Bandit. They explore ghost trains. They time travel. I mean, there is never a dull mystery with these two furry detectives. So here's what I want you to do. Help everyone

Help everyone's favorite dog detectives crack their cases each week by listening to Snoop and Sniffy. You can find them on Apple, Spotify, at gokidgo.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me on this one, smarty pants. Your brain is going to love the workout on Snoop and Sniffy.

Now back to Who Smarted? Okay, Smarty Pants, see if you can guess when people began to understand the cause of seizures. Was it A, during ancient times, B, during the Renaissance, or C, during the 20th century? I say B. Same. Smarty Pants, if you also said B during the Renaissance... Vive la France. Behold the glorious dawn of joy. Great job, guys.

It was during the Renaissance, which lasted about from the years 1300 to 1600, that people started researching causes of seizures. They decided they were caused by biology rather than by supernatural forces, as people previously thought. The word epilepsy comes from the Greek word epilambanion, which means to seize or to take hold of.

Smarty Pants, how long do seizures usually last? Is it A, a few seconds, B, a few hours, or C, a few minutes? The answer is C, a few minutes.

But even though seizures are usually short-lived, some people, including kids, might have them every day. Oof, that's off. Another question? True or false? Epilepsy is contagious. That is certainly false, right? Right. You cannot catch epilepsy from someone else.

But are there any known causes? Yes, things like hurting your head badly, having an infection when you were a baby, or a genetic cause, like other people in your family having epilepsy. Ah, yes. I had my first seizures as a child.

For years, I thought I was the only one. Nope, you're definitely not the only one. Smarty Pants, how many people would you guess have epilepsy today? Is it A, about 1% of the population? B, about 5% of the population? Or C, about 10% of the population? If you said A, about 1% of the population, nice job!

Many experts believe between a half percent and two percent of the population will develop epilepsy. While it may sound like a low number, we're talking about approximately 60 million people around the world having epilepsy. Whoa.

Who just said, whoa? Was that the ghost of Christmas future? No, that's just the whoa girl. She does that a lot. Smarty Pants, how many seizures do you need to have before being diagnosed with epilepsy? Is it one, two, or five? If you said two seizures, you're right.

Aha. That might be why it may take a while to be diagnosed with epilepsy. Even if you have one seizure, it wouldn't be until you had a second one that you'd be diagnosed with epilepsy. Great point, Dickens. Also, we need to wrap this up and get you guys back to your own time periods. But first, smarty pants, what should you do if you're with someone who is having a seizure? Ah, I can field this. A good rule to remember is stay safe side. That is a rule.

That's just three words starting with S. Yes, Napoleon, but they are not just random words starting with S. They are a reminder of what to do if you are with someone who has a seizure. Exactly. Stay means you should stay with the person and start timing the seizure. This way you can let an adult know how long it lasted.

Safe means exactly what it sounds like. You want to keep the person safe while they are having the seizure, including moving things out of the way so they don't bump their head if they fall. And side means you should turn the person onto their side if they are not awake and aware during the seizure.

Right on, Sir Charles. Oh, and despite any misinformation you may have heard, it is physically impossible for a person to swallow their tongue. And putting something in their mouth to prevent this from happening will actually do more harm than good, since it can cause injuries. The only thing I want to put in my mouth is a fresh Napoleon pastry. I'm with you on that. But first, smarty pants, true or false, there is a cure for epilepsy. The answer is...

False. But while there is no cure, there have been huge improvements in treatment. Taking medication helps many people control their seizures, and most people with epilepsy enjoy the same activities as people without epilepsy. Adults with epilepsy can go to work and drive cars, and kids with epilepsy can go to school and participate in all the same activities as their friends, including sports. And obviously, there have been some very famous people who were thought to have epilepsy, like my guests today, who are...

Guys, where'd you go? I don't know what you call this big cold box, but there's some really yummy food inside. That's my refrigerator, and that's my leftover pizza you're eating. Please, sir, may I have some more? A special shout-out to Super Smarty fans Austin and Thea in Norwich, UK. They had written to me to please do an episode about epilepsy.

Thea has epilepsy, and they would love other children to understand what that means. Also, it would be even better, they said, if it could have some funny bits in it. Well, hopefully we made you all proud. Thanks so much for smarting with us.

This episode, Epilepsy, was written by Sarah Swietek and voiced by Jonathan Regeer and Jerry Kolber. Our technical direction and sound design is by Josh Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis. Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber. This has been an Atomic Audio production. Who Smarted?