What happens to the brain and body after a generalized seizure?

What happens to the brain and body after a generalized seizure?

Charles Ribak, Ph.D. (Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, UC Irvine School of Medicine) gives expert video advice on: What happens to the brain and body during a generalized seizure?; What do I do if I think I'm going to have a generalized seizure?; What do I do if I see someone having a generalized seizure? and more...

With regards to generalized seizures, the postictal phase is the stage after a generalized seizure has occurred. You can imagine all of this excessive movement during the seizure will make a person extremely tired and fatigued. Therefore the postictal phase is what you can expect from a person who has had one of these generalized seizures. In addition, they probably will not have any memory of the actual seizure itself. They'll maybe remember a few things that occurred just prior to the generalized seizure, but the actual seizure will not be something they will have remembered. There is a period of time where they will lose consciousness during the seizure, and they will not be alert or responsive. Sometimes this period may extend into the postictal period for under a minute; 3 seconds perhaps.