Case of singing seizure using syllable names
Akihiro Shindo1, Masayuki Satoh, Yuichiro Ii
1Department of Neurology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan. a-shindo@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp
The Neurologist
|December 31, 2010
Summary
This study details a unique case of singing seizures in a musically naive woman. Findings suggest the right temporal lobe plays a role in automatic music perception and syllable-based singing.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Music Cognition
Background:
- Singing seizures are a rare ictal phenomenon.
- Understanding the neural basis of music perception is crucial.
Observation:
- A 56-year-old woman experienced singing seizures, involuntarily singing familiar songs by syllable.
- This occurred without prior musical training or practice with sheet music.
- The patient was musically naive before the onset of seizures in her early 20s.
Findings:
- Electroencephalogram revealed bilateral spikes, predominantly in the right temporal lobe.
- Technetium-99m-bicisate ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography indicated hypoperfusion in the medial right temporal lobe.
- These results implicate the right temporal lobe in the phenomenon of singing seizures.
Implications:
- The right temporal lobe may be critical for musical processing and vocalization.
- An unconscious, automatic system for music perception, organizing tones into syllables, is proposed.
- This case offers insights into the neural underpinnings of music and its complex relationship with neurological disorders.
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