Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:46:56.719Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Sexual Disturbances in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Controlled Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

G. D. Shukla
Affiliation:
M.L.B. Medical College, Jhansi (U.P.), India
O. N. Srivastava
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (U.P.), India
B. C. Katiyar
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (U.P.), India

Summary

Seventy cases each of temporal lobe epilepsy and grand mal epilepsy were studied for their sexual functioning. The two groups were similar as regards age, sex, duration of illness, frequency of seizures and menstrual and marital history.

A significantly greater number of temporal lobe epileptics were found to be hyposexual. They had a global loss of performance and interest in the sexual sphere and showed no concern over it.

One case in the group of temporal lobe epilepsy, as against none in the other group, was hypersexual. There were no cases of sexual deviations in either of the groups.

The findings of the study are discussed in the light of the relevant literature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1979 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blumer, D. & Walker, A. E. (1967) Sexual behaviour in temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of Neurology, 16, 3743.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blumer, D. (1969) Trans-sexualism, sexual dysfunction and temporal lobe disorder. In Trans-sexualism and Sex Reassignment. (ed. Green, R. and Money, J.). Baltimore: John Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
Blumer, D. (1970) Hypersexual episodes in temporal lobe epilepsy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 1099–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Currier, R. D., Little, S. C., Suess, J. F. & Andy, O. J. (1971) Sexual seizures. Archives of Neurology, 25, 260–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, B. N. & Morgenstern, F. S. (1960) A case of cystercercosis, temporal lobe epilepsy and transvestism. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 23, 247–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Driver, M. V. (1970) Electroencephalogram and the diagnosis of temporal lobe disease. In Modern Trends in Psychological Medicine—2 (ed. Price, J. H.). London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Epstein, A. W. (1961) Relationship of fetishism and transvestism to brain and particularly to temporal lobe dysfunction. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 133, 247–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erickson, T. (1945) Erotomania as an expression of cortical epileptic discharge. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 53, 226–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ervin, F. R. (1967) Brain disorders associated with convulsions. In Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry (ed. Freedman, A. M. and Kaplan, H. I.). Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.Google Scholar
Falconer, M. A., Hill, D., Meyer, A., Mitchell, W. & Pond, D. A. (1955) Treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy by temporal lobectomy. Lancet, i, 827–35.Google Scholar
Freemon, F. R. & Nevis, A. H. (1969) Temporal lobe sexual seizures. Neurology, 19, 8790.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gastaut, H. & Colomb, H. (1954) Quoted in Taylor, D. C. (1969) Sexual behaviour and temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of Neurology, 21, 510–16.Google Scholar
Hierons, R. & Saunders, M. (1966) Impotence in patients with temporal lobe lesions. Lancet, ii, 761–3.Google Scholar
Hill, D., Pond, D. A., Mitchell, W. & Falconer, M. A. (1957) Personality changes following temporal lobectomy for epilepsy. Journal of Mental Science, 103, 1826.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hooshmand, M. D. & Brawley, B. W. (1969) Temporal lobe seizures and exhibitionism. Neurology, 19, 1119–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hunter, R., Logue, V. & McMenemy, W. H. (1963) Temporal lobe epilepsy supervening on long standing transvestism and fetishism. Epilepsia, 4, 60–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, J. (1965) Sexual impotence and limbic system. British Journal of Psychiatry, 111, 300–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B. & Martin, C. E. (1948) Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.Google Scholar
Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E. & Gebhard, W. B. (1953) Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.Google Scholar
Klüver, H. & Bucy, P. C. (1939) Preliminary analysis of the functions of temporal lobes in monkeys. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 42, 9791000.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, W., Falconer, M. A. & Hill, D. (1954) Epilepsy with fetishism relieved by temporal lobectomy. Lancet, ii, 626–30.Google Scholar
Savard, R. & Walker, E. (1965) Changes in social functioning after surgical treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy. Social Work. 10, 8697.Google Scholar
Schreiner, L. & Kling, A. (1953) Behavioural changes following rhinencephalic injury in cat. Journal of Neurophysiology, 16, 643–59.Google ScholarPubMed
Solomon, S. (1967) The neurological evaluation. In Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry (ed. Freedman, A. M. and Kaplan, H. I.). Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.Google Scholar
Taylor, D. C. (1969) Sexual behaviour and temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of Neurology, 21, 510–16.Google ScholarPubMed
Terzian, H. (1958) Observations on the clinical symptomatology of bilateral partial or total removal of the temporal lobes in man. In Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. (ed. Baldwin, M. and Bailey, P.). Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.