Epileptic seizures originate in various parts of the brain. The seizure may affect one’s memory if it affects the temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus. Damage to the left side of the brain is more likely to cause difficulty with verbal memory, such as remembering conversations and written material, whereas damage to the right side can affect visual memory such as scenes or directions. Antiepileptic medications, such as Dilantin, can also cause memory loss.

During a seizure, a person will not be able to encode or learn any information from what is going on around them. This causes memory gaps. The more frequent the seizures, the more frequent the gaps in memory.