Victoria Figueroa, age 12, of Youngstown, Ohio, for her questions

WHAT IS EPILEPSY?

Epilepsy is a disorder of some nerve cells in the brain. An epileptic seizure happens when these certain cells suddenly release a large burst of electrical energy.

The brain normally produces some electrical energy in its cells and it flows through the nervous system to activate muscles. In the brain of an epileptic patient, sometimes there is a failure to limit or control this release of energy.

Patients with epilepsy can suffer seizures of varying degree at almost any time. Some people have frequent attacks while others have them only rarely. Most have no direct relationship to the emotional state or the time of the day.

Doctors don't know what causes epilepsy. They treat and control the disorder with drugs.