What triggers a complex partial seizure?
Complex partial seizures arise and are triggered from temporal lobe structions. As I indicated earlier about the amygdala and the hippocampus, both of these structures are part of limbic circuitry in the brain that deals with emotions. There are other functions as well. Stress could be a role in triggering this type of complex partial seizure. It should be noted that the complex partial seizures are characterized by an aura. As mentioned earlier, an aura is some kind of a warning sign that occurs prior to the actual seizure. So, this is something like a very strong smell of smoke, fire, or burning. Someone gets this olefactory aura prior to the seizure. Then of course in this type of complex partial seizure, the person becomes unconscious, not remembering anything about the actual seizure. However, some people remember the aura that occurred before the seizure started.
