Orgasm-induced seizures: male studied with ictal electroencephalography

Abstract

Reflex seizures can occur in response to a variety of stimuli, both sensory and emotional. Common triggers include light and music; however, in a growing number of case reports, the phenomenon of sexual activity triggering epileptic seizures is described. The majority of these case reports have been in women so far, and most have been found to localise to the right cerebral hemisphere on interictal electroencephalography (EEG). We report the case of a 34-year-old male with orgasm-induced seizures, recorded on ictal EEG. This gentleman's electrophysiology localised his seizure focus to the left cerebral hemisphere, making his case atypical in comparison with the majority of previous reports. Orgasm-induced seizures are an increasingly well-described phenomenon and we suggest that this should be taken into account when assessing patients with possible reflex seizures.