Myoclonic seizures are brief, shock-like jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles. "Myo" means muscle and "clonus" means rapidly alternating contraction and relaxation—jerking or twitching—of a muscle. They're very brief jerks. Usually they don't last more than a second or two. There can be just one, but sometimes many will occur within a short time

As mentioned, some episodes of myoclonus are normal. Some myoclonic seizures occur in reflex epilepsies, triggered by flashing lights or other things in the environment. The seizures themselves are easy to identify. The symptoms usually can be diagnosed on the basis of the medical history and often QEEG patterns.

Other Useful links about Seizure Disorders / Epilepsy

• Seizure Disorder / Epilepsy Overview
  • Read the overview of Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder
• Warning Signs of Seizures
  • Please review the warning signs, the symptoms of a seizure occurring , and the after-seizure symptoms
• Who develops Epilepsy?
  • Epilepsy can develop in any person at any age. Learn more about who develops epilepsy and when are most people likely to get it.
• What causes Epilepsy
  • Read about how strokes, tumors, and brain injuries contribute to the causes of epilepsy
• Types of Seizures
  • Generalized Seizures
    • Simple Absence seizures
    • Atypical Absence seizures
    • Atonic seizures
    • Tonic seizures
    • Clonic seizures
    • Tonic-clonic seizures
  • Partial Seizures
    • Simple partial seizures
    • Complex partial seizures
    • Secondarily generalized seizures