What Is Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME)? Kids with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) have one or more of several different kinds of seizures. These include absence seizures, myoclonic seizures, and generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which begin around the age of puberty. Seizures may lessen in adulthood, but medicine may be needed for life. What Do the Seizures in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) Look Like? The types of seizures that can happen in JME and their symptoms are: Absence seizure starts suddenly in the middle of activity and ends abruptly "blanking out" or staring spells that last about 5 to 20 seconds eyes may flutter or look upward child is unaware of what is going on during the seizure after the seizure, child returns to normal activity and won't remember having the seizure Myoclonic seizure brief muscle twitches or jerks in the upper arms, shoulders, or neck movements on both sides of the body at the same time child usually is awake and can think clearly during and right after the seizure Tonic-clonic seizure convulsions, or rigid muscles and rhythmic body jerks eyes rolling back crying out child may pee or poop child can't respond during seizure child is confused and sleepy after the seizure Seizures in JME happen within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning or after a nap. They're more likely to happen when someone is tired or stressed. What Causes Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME)? Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is caused by genetic changes or mutations. Many children have a family member with JME, but not always. How Is Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) Diagnosed? JME is diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist (a doctor who specializes in brain, spine, and nervous system problems) based on signs and symptoms. That the seizures started around puberty is an important clue. Testing may include: EEG, or electroencephalography (to see brain waves/electrical activity in the brain) VEEG, or video electroencephalography (EEG with video recording) CAT scan and MRI to look inside the brain. This will be normal and is meant to rule out other causes. How Is Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) Treated? JME usually gets better with medicines. Your child may take one or more medicines, depending on the seizure types. A few kids will have trouble getting their seizures controlled with medicines. How Can I Help My Child? Most kids with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy can lead a fairly normal life. To help your child, make sure he or she: takes medicines as prescribed avoids known seizure triggers, such as lack of sleep, flickering lights (video games, TV, strobe lights), antihistamine medicines (such as Benedryl), and too much stress It's important to keep your child safe during a seizure. So make sure that other adults and caregivers (family members, babysitters, teachers, coaches, etc.) know what to do. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is a lifelong condition. When it's time, help your child successfully transition into adult health care. Back to Articles Related Articles Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE) Kids with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) have seizures where they "blank out" for a few seconds. Most kids will outgrow CAE. Read More Benign Rolandic Epilepsy Kids with benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood (BREC) have seizures that involve twitching, numbness, or tingling of the face or tongue. Read More Epilepsy Seizures are a common symptom of epilepsy, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Learn all about epilepsy, including what to do if you see someone having a seizure. Read More Epilepsy It comes from a Greek word meaning "to hold or seize," and seizures are what happen to people with epilepsy. Learn more about epilepsy in this article written just for kids. Read More Epilepsy Epilepsy causes electrical signals in the brain to misfire, which can lead to multiple seizures. Anyone can get epilepsy at any age, but most new diagnoses are in kids. Read More Epilepsy Factsheet (for Schools) What teachers should know about epilepsy, and what they can do to help students with the condition succeed in school. Read More Epilepsy Surgery Epilepsy surgery is an operation done on the brain to reduce or stop seizures. Read More Intractable Epilepsy Intractable epilepsy is when a child's seizures can't be controlled by medicines. Doctors may recommend surgery or other treatments for intractable seizures. Read More Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Kids with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have seizures that start in one of the temporal lobes of the brain. Seizures usually get better with medicine. Read More Brain and Nervous System The brain controls everything we do, and is often likened to the central computer within a vast, complicated communication network, working at lightning speed. Read More Brain and Nervous System If the brain is a central computer that controls all the functions of the body, then the nervous system is like a network that relays messages back and forth to different parts of the body. Find out how they work in this Body Basics article. Read More First Aid: Seizures Although seizures can be frightening, usually they last only a few minutes, stop on their own, and are almost never life-threatening. Read More Seizures Seizures are caused by a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. Find out what you need to know about seizures and what to do if your child has one. Read More Word! Seizure You might hear a seizure called a convulsion, fit, or spell. Read More Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. © 1995-2021 KidsHealth®. All rights reserved. Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com.