Partial seizures, like all other seizures, result from excessive synchronous discharge of neuronal activity. This activity denotes abnormal cortical functioning. Seizures are fairly common—in fact, 1% of the population have chronic, recurrent episodes, or what is referred to as epilepsy. Individuals who are predisposed to epilepsy experience seizures when their basal level of neuronal excitability exceeds a critical level or threshold. In 70-80% of children with epilepsy, however, remission eventually occurs. Among children with epilepsy, 40% have partial seizures, which include temporal lobe seizures and seizures that have specific foci of abnormal electrical discharge (e.g., focal motor seizures).
Brain dysfunction involving only limited areas of the brain with localized symptoms.
A seizure originating in a specific region of the brain is known as a focal seizure. The atypical electrical activity can either remain localized within that region or propagate throughout the entire brain. It is also referred to as a focal seizure.