Abstract

A 37-year-old woman had bilateral amygdalotomy for psychomotor and minor motor seizures and long periods of very pronounced mental depression. The patient has been seizure-free for four years postoperatively. A preoperative left temporal spike focus disappeared after extensive left amygdalotomy. Of particular interest in this case is the recovery of olfactory and memory functions which were partially impaired by the bilateral lesions. Bilateral amygdalotomy is effective in relieving temporal lobe seizures without the complications and deficits that usually occur with resections of the bilateral temporal lobe.