Specificity of psychopathology in temporal lobe epilepsy

Abstract

An investigation into the specificity of psychopathology in temporal lobe epilepsy was conducted using the Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory second edition (MMPI-2) profiles. Consecutive series of patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 49) and those with right temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 45) were compared with patients with other forms of epilepsy (n = 46) and other heterogeneous neurological conditions (n = 69). The investigation focused on the Clinical, Content, and Subscales scales that resembled descriptions of the Interictal Dysphoric Disorder symptoms and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Personality Traits. Patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy and those with left temporal lobe epilepsy did not have different patterns of scale elevation, nor did they have clinical elevations compared with patients with other types of epilepsy or neurological controls. The MMPI-2 scales that resemble descriptions of the Interictal Dysphoric Disorder or Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Personality Syndrome were not elevated in either group of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy compared with the group of patients with non-temporal lobe epilepsy or heterogeneous neurological controls. This study adds to the mounting body of empirical research that has used standardized measures and matched groups, but failed to detect a special affinity between psychopathology and temporal lobe epilepsy.