Temporal lobe dysfunction has been postulated in affective disorders by different brain imaging techniques. To further elucidate the possible relationship between electrophysiological variables in rapid cycling mood disorders (RCMD) and temporal lobe dysfunction we firstly recorded sphenoidal EEGs in addition to surface EEGs and yy"T~-HMPAO-SPECT in three patients with RCMD. As compared to surface recordings the sphenoidal electrodes record more specifically the electrical activity arising within the mesio-basal temporal lobe. The preliminary results indicate that there is a dysrhythmia and/or rhythmic delta activity in RCMD which was predominantly apparent in the left temporo-mesial region in two cases. Furthermore, there was a hypoperfusion in the left tempVal and temporo-parietal region using 99"Tc-HMPAO-SPECT technique in two patients, respectively. This pilot study suggests that temporal lobe structures might be of particular relevance in RCMD and thus provides further evidence suggestive of temporal lobe involvement in affective disorders. Our findings indicate that electrophysiological recordings and brain imaging techniques could be helpful in further elucidating the pathophysiology underlying rapid cycling mood disorders.
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