Condition	Characteristics
Transient ischemic attacks	Sudden onset of a focal neurologic deficit lasting a few minutes to a few hours; abrupt loss of consciousness is not a focal symptom and is not suggestive of an attack.
Syncopal episodes	Usually have prodromes and do not often cause tongue lacerations; if the tongue is bitten, it is on the tip rather than the side.
Epileptic seizures	Generalized tonic-clonic (“grand mal”) seizures cause lateral tongue lacerations; typical sequence is body stiffening (tonic) followed by generalized jerking (clonic) lasting one to two minutes, followed by a deep sleep (postictal phase).
Psychogenic seizures	Can vary but usually do not cause any type of injuries; tongue biting is rare.
Hypoglycemia episodes	Usually abundant prodromes of malaise, fatigue, dizziness; tongue biting is rare.