Transient sensory, cognitive and affective phenomena in affective illness. A comparison with complex partial epilepsy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Behavioral changes are frequently observed in epilepsy patients.
• This study explores the converse: sensory, cognitive, and affective changes in patients with affective disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the occurrence of transient sensory, cognitive, and affective phenomena in patients with affective illness.
• To compare these phenomena in patients with complex partial seizures and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Interviewed 44 patients with affective illness, 37 with complex partial seizures, and 30 hypertensive controls.
• Assessed the lifetime occurrence of specific transient sensory, cognitive, and affective symptoms.

Main Results:

• Symptoms were frequent in both affective illness and epilepsy, but rare in controls.
• Visual, auditory, olfactory, epigastric symptoms, illusions, jumbled thoughts, and amnesia were common to both conditions.
• A higher symptom count correlated with a better response to lithium and tricyclic antidepressants.

Conclusions:

• Transient sensory, cognitive, and affective phenomena are likely more prevalent in affective illness and other psychiatric conditions than previously thought.
• These symptoms may serve as indicators of underlying pathophysiology in these conditions.