A CLINICAL-STUDY OF HYPERGRAPHIA IN EPILEPSY

Fifteen patients with epilepsy and hypergraphia were compared with 32 patients with epilepsy but without hypergraphia. The number of previou s psychiatric episodes, the number of Washington Psychosocial Seizure Inventory (WPSI) items indicating emotional maladjustment, and the num ber of CT scan abnormalities were significantly greater in the hypergr aphic patients than in the non-hypergraphic patients. Cognitive perfor mance, EEG laterality and the scores of WPSI items related to the psyc hological stress of seizures did not differ significantly between the two groups. Hypergraphia reflects changes in emotional responsiveness secondary to organic temporal lobe lesions.