Musicogenic Epilepsy

Musicogenic epilepsy is a rare form of reflex epilepsy characterized by having seizures which are triggered by certain kinds of music such as jazz, pop, church bells, anthems, or choral. Interestingly, some patients may be triggered by merely dreaming or thinking of music. The music trigger is often related to a memory or an emotion. There is usually a delay between the stimulus and the seizure. During this gap, the individual may experience palpitations, rapid breathing, and agitation. Hence, some cases may be unreported as they do not specifically associate the music trigger and the seizure response.

For instance, a 28-year-old female heard a lullaby song, she then felt uncomfortable, her heart started beating rapidly, and felt extremely nervous. After 5 minutes, she felt her muscles tensing, she then dropped to the floor due to uncontrollable muscle contractions. Notably, she had another seizure attack upon hearing the same lullaby song after a couple of days.