Religious conversion in an older male with longstanding epilepsy.
William B Barr, Anli Liu, Casey Laduke, Siddhartha Nadkarni, Orrin Devinsky
Epilepsy & behavior reports January 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebr.2022.100524 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 75-year-old man with epilepsy experienced a progressive decline in cognition and behavior after a religious conversion 15 years earlier. He later developed severe religious delusions and Capgras syndrome. Brain imaging showed bilateral posterior cortical atrophy, chronic right parieto-occipital encephalomalacia, and right mesial temporal sclerosis. Electroencephalograms and neuropsychological testing indicated initial right temporal lobe abnormalities, followed by progressive frontal and bilateral dysfunction. The case suggests that a history of seizures, combined with sensory deprivation and progressive impairment of right posterior and bilateral anterior brain function, may have contributed to the religious conversion, which was followed by dementia and delusions with religious content.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 75-year-old man with epilepsy |
| Keywords | Cognitive impairment Hyperreligiosity Neuropsychological assessment Postictal psychosis Temporal lobe epilepsy |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | A history of seizures, sensory deprivation, and progressive right posterior and bilateral anterior brain impairment may have contributed to religious conversion followed by dementia and religious delusions. |
Abstract
Religious experiences in epilepsy patients have provoked much interest with suggestions that hyperreligiosity is associated with temporal lobe seizures. Extreme varieties of religious behavior may be more frequent in epilepsy patients during ictal activity or during post-ictal psychotic episodes. We report a 75 year-old man with epilepsy who developed a progressive decline in cognition and behavior following a religious conversion 15 years earlier. He subsequently developed religious delusions of increasing severity and symptoms of Capgras syndrome. Brain imaging revealed bilateral posterior cortical atrophy, chronic right parieto-occipital encephalomalacia, and right mesial temporal sclerosis. Electroencephalograms and neuropsychological testing revealed initial right temporal lobe abnormalities followed by progressive frontal and bilateral dysfunction. The case highlights how a history of seizures, superimposed on sensory deprivation and a progressive impairment of right posterior and bilateral anterior brain function, may have contributed to religious conversion, which was followed by dementia and delusions involving religious content.