Conclusion
There are few explanations for what could cause the long lasting symptoms of the postictal state, with patients complaining of difficulty thinking clearly and loss of short-term memory function for hours and even days. The cellular and molecular changes hypothesized to take place following a seizure would only have effects lasting for minutes. Todd’s paresis can last for 24 or 48 hours, and reversible neurological defects (typically short term memory) can last for months, suggesting that more permanent changes in neuron structure may take place following seizures. It should be noted that most patients do not display any long term neurological defects following seizures, and seizures are not believed to be damaging to the brain. It is possible in the small fraction of patients that do experience short term memory loss for weeks or months following a seizure, structural changes may take place that are eventually compensated for structurally or functionally, causing symptoms to eventually disappear.
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