Synonyms
Geschwind syndrome (or Waxman-Geschwind Syndrome); Interictal personality syndrome; Temporal lobe syndrome
Definition
A distinct behavioral presentation described initially by Stephen Waxman and Norman Geschwind that occurs interictally (i.e., between seizure events) in some patients with complex partial seizures with involvement of the temporal lobes. It presents as personality changes that are concomitant with abnormal EEG activity in limbic regions and is more often associated with individuals with left temporal lobe epilepsy. These changes have been described to include alterations in sexual behavior (usually decreased interest in sexual behavior), increased religiosity (hyper-religiosity and/or hyper-morality), increased verbal output, tendency towards extensive, compulsive writing (i.e., hypergraphia), circumstantial thinking, stickiness or viscosity in thinking and social interactions, and deepened emotionality.
Current Knowledge
This term dates back to earlier times in...
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Kucukboyaci, N.E. (2018). Interictal Behavior Syndrome. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1046
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1046
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
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