The relation between aggressive behaviors and epilepsy has been widely debated since the very first observations. The prevalence and incidence of this phenomenon in patients with epilepsy is still unknown, but it is more often related to frontalor temporal lobe brain pathology. Three different types of aggressive behaviors have been distinguished on the basis of their relation to the seizure event: interictal, ictal, and postictal aggression. All three types are considered to be defensive, in that they are episodes of “reactive” aggression.This chapter complements previous litterature on violence and aggressive behaviors overall, focusing on seizure-related biting as a model for aggressive behavior. This behavior is particularly relevant in the context of authors' ethologic approach to epileptic seizures, in which biting is considered as the emergence of innate behavior.
Biting Behavior as a Model of Aggression Associated with Seizures
CANTALUPO, Gaetano;
2008-01-01
Abstract
The relation between aggressive behaviors and epilepsy has been widely debated since the very first observations. The prevalence and incidence of this phenomenon in patients with epilepsy is still unknown, but it is more often related to frontalor temporal lobe brain pathology. Three different types of aggressive behaviors have been distinguished on the basis of their relation to the seizure event: interictal, ictal, and postictal aggression. All three types are considered to be defensive, in that they are episodes of “reactive” aggression.This chapter complements previous litterature on violence and aggressive behaviors overall, focusing on seizure-related biting as a model for aggressive behavior. This behavior is particularly relevant in the context of authors' ethologic approach to epileptic seizures, in which biting is considered as the emergence of innate behavior.
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