Scott Abernathy, age 12, of Harrisburg, Penna., for his question:

WHAT CAUSES EPILEPSY?

Epilepsy is a disorder of some nerve cells in the brain. When these cells suddenly release a large burst of electrical energy, they produce an attack of epilepsy called a seizure. Doctors do not know the basic causes of epilepsy.

Ordinarily, the brain cells produce some electrical energy, which flows through the nervous system and activates the muscles. The brain of an epileptic patient sometimes fails to limit or control this release of energy.

An inheritable tendency to develop epilepsy occurs among the families of many epileptic patients. Also, many epileptic patients have some brain damage due to infection, injury or a tumor. Other cases involve neither hereditary tendency nor brain damage.

Medical authorities tell us that half of one percent of ail the people in the world have epilepsy.

There are three types of epileptic attacks: grand mai, petit mai and pyschomotor.

Most severe type is the grand mal, where the victim suddenly loses consciousness. He falls unless he is supported and his muscles jerk. The grand mal seizure usually lasts just a few minutes, after which the patient goes into a deep sleep.

The petit mal attack is a mild type of seizure, with the victim losing awareness of his surroundings for only a few seconds. Often he appears confused. Many seizures are not even noticed. Most petit mal attacks occur in children.

A psychomotor attack makes the patient act withdrawn and behaving strangely for a few minutes. The victim may suddenly roam around the room or tug at his clothes.

A seizure may occur at any time. Some persons have frequent attacks while others rarely have them. Most seizures have no direct relationship to the emotional state of the patient. Attacks may occur for no apparent reason at any time of the day or night.

In most cases, the first epileptic seizure occurs during childhood. Doctors treat epilepsy with drugs that either reduce the number of seizures or prevent them entirely. Most persons with epilepsy can lead almost normal lives.

The earlier epilepsy treatments start, the batter the results.

In certain cases of epilepsy where only one area of the brain triggers the attack, surgical removal of that area can lead to a complete cure.

In the mid 1970s, doctors stated using brain pacemakers to treat certain cases of epilqpsy that did not respond to drugs. The pacemaker electrically stimulates the cerebellum, a part of the brain, and prevents seizures. '