Neurology®
The most widely read and highly cited peer-reviewed Neurology journal
Quick Search
Advanced Search
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Correspondence:
Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Correspondence are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Masia, S. L.
Right arrow Articles by Devinsky, O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Masia, S. L.
Right arrow Articles by Devinsky, O.
Neurology 2000;54:1691-1693
© 2000 American Academy of Neurology
Brief Communications

Emotional outbursts and post-traumatic stress disorder during intracarotid amobarbital procedure

S. L. Masia, BS, K. Perrine, PhD, L. Westbrook, PhD, K. Alper, MD and O. Devinsky, MD

From the NYU–Mt. Sinai Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Orrin Devinsky, NYU–Mt. Sinai Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, 560 First Avenue, Rivergate Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10016.

Severe emotional outbursts (SEOs) during intracarotid amobarbital procedures (IAP) rarely jeopardize preoperative language and memory testing. Four of four patients (100%) with outbursts had experienced significant emotional trauma (three were raped and one witnessed a decapitation), compared with 26 of 546 patients (4.8%) without outbursts ({chi}2 = 69.8, p < 0.0001). Evocative injections were ipsilateral to seizure focus. IAP may disrupt emotional balance in some traumatized patients. Counseling may prevent SEOs.

Key words: Wada procedure—Post-traumatic stress disorder—Emotion—Epilepsy—Valence hypothesis.