The role of aura in psychopathology and dissociative experiences in epilepsy

Cognitive auras seem to be associated with depression and anxiety, especially in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Dissociative symptoms may occur as an aura or in the context of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia. This is a cross-sectional study of 62 patients with TLE, using personality and dissociation measures to investigate their relationship with the presence of aura and its different subtypes. Our findings show no difference in psychopathology in patients with different types of aura and reveal that dissociative symptoms correlate with specific measures of anxiety, suggesting a possible link between these experiences and anxiety disorders.