Psych. and psychiatric aspects of brain disorders II: Sexual function in patients with neurological disorders

7 important questions on Psych. and psychiatric aspects of brain disorders II: Sexual function in patients with neurological disorders

Kluver bucy syndrome

Symptoms
  1. visual agnosia
  2. hyperorality (examining things with the mouth )
  3. hypermetamorphis (tendency to react to all stimuli)
  4. emotional changes, absence of fear or anger
  5. changes in dietary habits
  6. hypersexuality

  • Is caused by bilateral temporal lobotomy 
  • Poeck argued that the only real feature is hyperorality, and only hypersexuality is not enough for a diagnosis of KBS
  • lesions only limited to the amygdala do not produce features of KBS

Paraphilias and sexual orientation

  • sexual deviation -> peadophilea zoophilia e.a.
  • sexual disturbance -> random orgasms, hyper or hyposexuality e.a.


  • sexual deviation is associated with early onset lesions (prior to age 3)
  • associations with temporal lobe abnormalities and peadophilia,
  • bitemporal dysfunction with right-sides dominance results in hypersexuality

Temporal lobe epilepsy
ictally

  • involves sexual emotions
  • sexual and orgasms like feelings 
  • sexual automatisms involving statements, masturbation e.a.
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Temporal lobe epilepsy
Postictally

  • patient seeks sexual outlet, but is not considered part of postictal phase
  • postictal sexual arousal was only observed in patients who were not hyposexual interictally


[right hemisphere is mostly the mediator of sexual function in TLE compared to the left 2:1]
[hypersexuality is associated with right side, hyposexuality with left side]

Sexual outcome after temporal lobectomy

  • may reduce paraphilias, lower libido, restore normal sexual functioning, or result in hypersexuality.
  • more changes in sex drive after right temporal resection compared to lef temporal resection

Hypersexuality after temporal lobectomy

  • Partial KBS after unilateral lobectomy
  • hypersexuality is a rare but dramatic outcome of unilateral temporal lobectomy

Brain regions mediating sexual behaviour

Triastic model of kaplan:
  1. Sexual desire
  2. excitement
  3. orgasm
are interconnected, but governed by different key brain regions.

Phase one
  • subcortical regions

Phase two
  • cortical structures

Phase three
  • septal regions.

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