Postictal autoscopy in a patient with partial epilepsy.
Autoscopy is an experience of seeing oneself in external space, viewed from within one's own physical body. It is a complex psycho-sensorial hallucinatory perception of one's own body image projected into external visual space, with epilepsy one of the common disorders reported to be associated with the experience. A survey of the literature revealed that there are few case reports of postictal autoscopic phenomena. Herein, we report a case of a patient with partial epilepsy who has experienced postictal autoscopy for nearly 30 years. Although the neurological mechanisms that cause autoscopic phenomena are not fully understood, wish-fulfilling fantasies released as a result of a shaken integrity regarding personal bodily image may contribute to the shaping of the symptoms, at least in the case of postictal autoscopy.
Tadokoro
Yukari
Y
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Karimata 21, Yazako, Nagakute-cho, Aichi-gun, Aichi-ken 480-1195, Japan. yuritado-amu@umin.ac.jp <yuritado-amu@umin.ac.jp>
Oshima
Tomohiro
T
Kanemoto
Kousuke
K
D000328:Adult; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D017029:Epilepsy, Complex Partial / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging