Geschwind Syndrome

Geschwind syndrome, also known as Gastaut-Geschwind, describes a cluster of symptoms that influences the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional experience of some individuals affected by temporal lobe epilepsy.

This disorder is characterized by the development of 3 distinctive features (a triad of symptoms unique to temporal lobe epilepsy), as identified by Geschwind: hyper-religiosity (inflated interest in religion, philosophy, and moral issues); hypergraphia (tendency to compulsively write or draw); altered sexuality (usually diminished sexual drive); However, other common features have been associated with this disorder, including irritability, intense emotional and cognitive responses to stimuli, and circumstantiality (rambling or excessive talking). It is believed that the development of these features, which tend to intensify over time, is due to damage to the limbic systems that occur during epileptic seizures.

Whether this syndrome can be considered a specific personality disorder remains controversial, as well as its acknowledgment as a neuropsychiatric disorder.