Emergence of hyper empathy after right amygdalohippocampectomy

Abstract

We report a fascinating case of a patient with a hyper empathy that appeared after resective epilepsy surgery. This behavioral modification has remained unchanged since the surgery took place 13 years ago. Recent neuropsychological objective assessments confirmed hyper empathy in a self-report questionnaire, and revealed higher affective theory of mind than controls in a "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task." Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy and the investigation of emotional processes after surgery in these patients deserves to be related.