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Abstract

Abdominal aura is also known as visceral aura and epigastric aura. The term abdominal aura is indebted to the Latin words abdomen (belly) and aura (wind, smell). It is used to denote a type of *somatosensory or *somaesthetic aura that typically manifests itself as a rising epigastric sensation. Other presentations include abdominal discomfort; visceromotor symptoms presenting in the form of tachycardia, borborygmi, or vomiting; and vegetative symptoms such as blushing and sweating. Pathophysiologically, the abdominal aura is associated with aberrant neuronal discharges in sensory cortical areas representing the abdominal viscera or, alternatively, the abdominal region of the motor homunculus, with or without actual involvement of the abdominal musculature. Etiologically, the abdominal aura is associated primarily with paroxysmal neurological disorders such as *migraine and *epilepsy. In the context of the latter condition, more than 50% of the cases are associated with temporal-lobe epilepsy, without a preponderance for either side. Abdominal auras are often followed by ictal oral and manual automatisms (i.e. automotor seizures). The abdominal aura is usually classified as a *somatic hallucination, although strictly speaking cases associated with clonic jerking of the abdominal musculature fall outside this category.