Du rire aux larmes: pathological laughing and crying in patients with traumatic brain injury and treatment with lamotrigine
Author: Chahine LM, Chemali Z.
Source:
Epilepsy & Behavior, 8(3), 610-615.
Pathologic laughter and crying (PLC) is the involuntary occurrence of laughter
and crying in the absence of a corresponding change in affect. PLC resulting from
structural brain damage in patients with traumatic brain injury can be the cause
of substantial social dysfunction in these patients. The use of lamotrigine as an
antiepileptic drug and mood stabilizer is well established; its use in PLC has
been reported only once during treatment following a stroke. We present here four
young patients with pathological laughter and/or pathological crying following
traumatic brain injury who were successfully treated with lamotrigine. Data
supporting the use of lamotrigine in the treatment of PLC following traumatic
brain injury and the neuroanatomy of pathological laughing are briefly reviewed.