Impaired Emotion Processing and Panic Disorder After Left Anterior Temporal Lobectomy: A Case Report of Successful Psychotherapeutic Intervention

Background Over the last decades, brain surgery became a more frequently applied treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Despite its success, several studies found de-novo post-operative psychiatric symptoms in TLE surgery patients. Cognitive behavioural therapy is effective to treat brain healthy psychiatric patients but might not be translatable to patients with resections in emotion regulating networks as these areas seem to be essentially involved in successful psychotherapeutic treatment. Methods Here we report the case of a female patient with medically refractory medial temporal lobe epilepsy resulting in left anterior temporal lobectomy at age 35. Post operation she did not show adequate fearful response but at the same time manifested symptoms of a severe panic disorder. We investigated if this patient, despite lesions in emotion-behaviour brain circuits, can benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy. Results The intervention, customized to the specific resources and difficulties of the patient, was effective in stopping panic attacks and improving social functioning. Conclusions This case shows that MTL brain surgery patients may benefit from CBT and demonstrates the important and if yet still somewhat mysterious role of the amygdala in emotion regulation processes.