title: Hector Berlioz and his Vesuvius: an analysis of historical evidence from an epileptological perspective.
abstract: The epileptologically informed in-depth analysis of auto- and heteroanamnestic historical sources supports the hypothesis that Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) might have suffered from a photosensitive idiopathic generalized epilepsy syndrome with absences, absence status, myoclonic seizures, and bilateral tonic-clonic seizures. The study outlines the possible influence of the composer's probable epilepsy on his literary and musical oeuvre, including the Symphonie fantastique en cinq parties.
authors: Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Electronic address: dirk-matthias.altenmueller@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
authors: Dirk-Matthias
authors: DM
authors: Altenmüller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008488:Medical Illustration / Q000266:history; D009146:Music / Q000266:history; D012613:Sculpture / Q000266:history
keywords: Hector Berlioz; Symphonie fantastique; absence; absence status; bilateral tonic–clonic seizure; epilepsy; generalized; myoclonic seizure; photosensitivity