focal seizure
1
5.6
- noun
- /ˈfoʊkəl ˈsiːʒər/
- Specialized
:
crisis focal
- While awaiting the renal biopsy, the patient had two focal seizures starting from the right hand with rapid secondary generalization.
Examples
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Action's website has detailed information about the types of focal seizures that may occur.
Academic text (2012) -
Occasionally, focal seizures may go on to become generalized ones.
Academic text (2012) -
The effects of a focal seizure can be relatively mild and may include twitching or experiencing odd sensations such as visual, taste, or sound effects that are not actually there.
Academic text (2012) -
The effects of a focal seizure can include twitching or experiencing unusual sensations.
-
While awaiting treatment, the patient experienced a focal seizure that began in his right hand.
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Doctors explained that a focal seizure involves a temporary disturbance in sensory function.
Synonyms
190
5.5
A sudden attack that makes the body shake or lose awareness
3
4.4
A sudden time of shaking or loss of awareness caused by unusual brain activity
How Localized
- Specialized
1
5.6
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a seizure localized to a specific area of the brain' is directly and compositionally derived from 'focal' (relating to a focus or localized center) plus 'seizure' (a sudden episode of abnormal brain activity). Although the term is medical/technical, the relation between localization and seizure is transparent and cross-linguistically comparable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Focal seizure comes from the parts focal meaning 'one spot' and seizure meaning 'a sudden attack'. Imagine a small light flickering in just one room of a house to show a problem in one part of the brain, so a focal seizure causes short symptoms in just one area of the body.