Psychiatria pre prax 1/2002

Epilepsy – Psychosis, an as yet unclear relationship?

The literature on this subject still lacks unanimity, but the facts supporting a unanimous theory have been increasing. What epilepsy and psychotic disorders have in common is a knowledge of the receptors and systems of neurotransmitters. One hypothesis, however, cannot explain all psychotic diseases and all types of epilepsy. But some brief stereotypically recurrent psychotic attacks and some types of complex and simple focal temporal epilepsy seem to be related, the common denominator perhaps being an epileptic focus in the limbic system and a disbalance among various stem and subcortical systems of neurotransmitters. Stereo-EEG with dipped electrodes and up to date diagnostic methods like PET (positron emission tomography), functional MRI and high resolution EEG, combined with new mathematical analytical methods, could help us to resolve these problems.

Keywords: psychosis, epilepsy, neurotransmitter systems, learning models, limbic system.