In some cases, it may reflect the existence of depression, in others the limitation of the neuropsychological tests, but importantly may also be due to the way in which persons with epilepsy, as well as people in general, view themselves and their strengths and limitations. However, very frequently, the complaints are not fully corroborated by neuropsychological tests, leading to the important issue of metamemory, an understudied area in the field of epilepsy. Memory complaints are extremely common among persons with epilepsy, and can theoretically be due to brain damage, the epileptic activity itself, as well as the antiepileptic drugs. Another interesting and unexplained aspect is the manifestation of hyperreligiosity which is well described in patients suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy. It is perhaps not surprising that a “seizure” is interpreted by observers (and sometimes by patients themselves) as being of divine origin, leading at times to affected persons being crowned as leaders, such as Jeanne (Joan) d’Arc, but which may also confine such poor patients to mental asylums. The relationship of epilepsy with religious experiences has always attracted attention and is definitely an endless source of debates.
Developmentally, we discussed the effects of antiepileptic drugs on cognition and behavior, as well as on electrical changes in the brain, some of which were recently explored for the first time. Along the cultural domain, we were impressed by the effect that epilepsy could have on artistic production, mainly in literature and music. The existence of such phenomena, manifested as mood changes or psychosis, are clearly a fertile ground for investigation of the brain and mind, and several aspects of these were investigated and discussed in the EBM3 congress as reflected by the extended abstracts which follow.Īcross the time domain, we explored the history of our understanding. However, many mental phenomena are not brief but rather continue for prolonged periods of time, when current physiological techniques fail to show abnormal activity, especially paroxysmal abnormalities. The mental affection in epilepsy relates, in many cases, to transient electric discharges. Not only do seizures cause mental aberrations, but the mind, in turn, can also induce psychogenic seizures during which we cannot see electrical discharges (though the movements constituting the episodes are triggered by the activity of some neurons, i.e., these neurons discharge electrically). By contrast, epilepsy is significantly much more heterogeneous in its mental manifestations, and unlike other diseases, here, the relationship is bidirectional. However, it is clearly beneficial and interesting to look at how the mind is affected by brain diseases, as exemplified by dementia, where the mind is being slowly eroded, or by Parkinson’s disease, which is commonly accompanied by depression.
Of course, this debate (which has been discussed in previous EBM meetings and again in EBM3) has been terminated by the clear-cut electrophysiological data, proving epilepsy to be a functional brain disease.Īll scientists today accept that the brain is the organ of the mind, although differences exist along the monism–dualism spectrum. Back in history, this has not always been clear, and it is interesting why for a long time it was thought, on the one hand, to be a disease of the body (rather than the head…), whereas oppositely, it was considered a disease of the mind, i.e., a mental disorder. There is no question today that epilepsy is a disease of the brain, rather than of the mind. While discussions about epilepsy and the brain, and specifically epilepsy as a brain disease, are the basis of all epilepsy congresses, during this and previous EBM congresses, we tried to look at issues within the triangle of epilepsy, brain, and mind.
STEVE BALAAM VALLUM SERIES
Being the third in a series of these biannual congresses, it maintained successfully the wide dimensions and high level of presentations and debate. The Third International Congress on Epilepsy, Brain and Mind (EBM3) took place in Brno, Czech Republic, on April 3–5, 2014.
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