Two out of 3 people with temporal lobe epilepsy achieve good seizure control with seizure medication. Seizures may also go away in some children with TLE. A good outcome is most often seen in people with normal MRI scans.

Seizures, especially ones that start in the temporal lobe, can cause a major blow to the hippocampus. The hippocampus is very sensitive to changes in brain activity. If seizures starting here go untreated, the hippocampus starts to harden and shrink. It is as if the librarian has gone on strike.

TLE is treated with medications, resective surgery, and vagus nerve stimulation. Epilepsy surgery should be considered in all patients with refractory partial epilepsy.

Usually, a seizure does not cause any lasting damage to the brain. However, having many seizures, or having seizures that are particularly severe, may cause a person to become more forgetful or find it difficult to concentrate. People with epilepsy have an increased risk of developing depression.

A sudden sense of unprovoked fear or joy. A deja vu experience — a feeling that what’s happening has happened before. A sudden or strange odor or taste. A rising sensation in the abdomen, similar to being on a roller coaster.

Treatments for temporal lobe epilepsy includes medications, diet, surgery, laser, and electrical brain stimulator devices.

1. Medications. Many medications are available to treat people who have temporal lobe seizures.
2. Diet.
3. Surgery.
4. Laser ablation.
5. Electrical brain stimulators.

Most people with temporal lobe epilepsy respond well to anti-epilepsy drugs. However, these drugs come with various side effects, including tiredness, weight gain, and dizziness. They also may interfere with other medications, such as oral contraceptives.

Many medications are available to treat temporal lobe seizures. However, many people don’t achieve seizure control with medications alone, and side effects, including fatigue, weight gain and dizziness, are common. Discuss possible side effects with your doctor when deciding about treatment options.

One temporal lobe is on each side of the brain, near the temples. This part of the brain controls memory, emotions, and language processing. A temporal lobe seizure is called a focal seizure because it starts in one part of your brain.

If seizures fail to respond to medication, then epilepsy surgery may be an option. When an MRI shows hippocampal sclerosis in the medial temporal lobe and EEGs show seizures starting in that same area, seizures may be cured by surgery. In some cases, up to 7 out of 10 people can be seizure-free after surgery with few problems afterwards.