Spontaneous out-of-body experience in a child with refractory right temporoparietal epilepsy.
Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics October 1, 2014 DOI: 10.3171/2014.6.peds13485 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 15-year-old boy with severe epilepsy was misdiagnosed with psychosis because he reported spontaneous out-of-body experiences. After surgical removal of a focal cortical dysplasia in the right temporoparietal region, both the out-of-body experiences and seizures stopped. The case illustrates how epileptic lesions in the temporoparietal junction can produce out-of-body experiences and that such symptoms may be mistaken for psychiatric conditions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 15-year-old right-handed boy with intractable epilepsy and a right temporoparietal focal cortical dysplasia |
| Keywords | EEG = Electroencephalography Epilepsy surgery Focal cortical dysplasia Out-of-body experience Refractory epilepsy |
| Key finding | Resection of a right temporoparietal focal cortical dysplasia resolved both out-of-body experiences and seizures in a patient previously misdiagnosed with psychosis. |
Abstract
The authors describe the case of a spontaneous out-of-body experience (OBE) in a 15-year-old right-handed boy with intractable epilepsy in whom psychosis had been misdiagnosed. After successful resection of a right temporoparietal focal cortical dysplasia, the OBE and seizures resolved. The authors analyzed the underlying causes of the OBE and discussed the mechanism of the OBE caused by an epileptic lesion.