Reporting a Remarkable Visual Illusion Due to Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and an Unusual Response to Lamotrigine

Abstract

Introduction: Visual illusions and hallucinations may accompany a wide variety of disorders with many various etiologies; therefore, they are nonspecific phenomena. In a partial seizure, a localized hyper synchronous neuronal discharge evolving into a partial seizure affecting a particular cortical region or cerebral subsystem can give rise to psychotic symptoms like visual hallucination. This case study introduces a patient with metamorphopsia, a rare visual illusion, that was treated with lamotrigine. Case Presentation: This case study introduces a 34-year-old man with a history of falling. After a while, his seizures became accompanied with aura and, during the attack, he saw people and objects as bloody. He was asymptomatic between the attacks, with no visceral feeling and with dysphoric mood and borderline IQ. He was resistant to various treatments. After 6 months administration of lamotrigine, he has not had any seizure attacks and the psychotic symptoms have improved. Conclusions: The psychotic symptoms due to temporal lobe epilepsy can be resolved with lamotrigine administration.