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Psychiatric presentations of epilepsy
P W Tisher1, J C Holzer, M Greenberg
1Medical Center of Central Massachusetts, Worcester, Mass., USA.
Harvard Review of Psychiatry
|November 1, 1993
Summary
Epilepsy-related abnormal neuronal excitability can cause behavioral changes mimicking psychiatric disorders. Understanding temporal and frontolimbic functions clarifies these epilepsy-induced psychiatric syndromes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Epileptology
Background:
- Abnormal neuronal excitability in seizure disorders can lead to behavioral alterations.
- These changes may manifest during ictal (seizure) or interictal (between seizures) periods.
Observation:
- Epilepsy can present with behaviors resembling primary psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, panic disorder, and dissociative disorders.
- Case descriptions illustrate these complex behavioral presentations.
Findings:
- Behavioral changes are linked to the origin of partial seizures, particularly in the temporal or frontal lobes.
- Chronic temporolimbic seizure discharges are associated with interictal behavioral alterations.
Implications:
- Examining the functions of temporal and frontolimbic structures helps elucidate epilepsy-induced psychiatric syndromes.
- Clinical presentations of epilepsy may offer insights into the causes of primary psychiatric disorders.