I came across a fantastic article about the very rare but real form of epilepsy called "audiogenic seizure disorder". I was fascinated to know that some peoples triggers are everyday sounds; which incidentally increases their risk of multiple events throughout the day. I asked a co-worker if she had also heard (no pun intended) of this interesting little fact and, to my surprise, she had! She could remember a patient who had an implanted hearing aid; he would seize when it was turned to its highest setting. Full blown tonic-clonic seizures when exposed to the high pitch of even normal speech! I was flabbergasted by this as my time in epilepsy has not been graced with such a fascinating story.
If you would like to find more out about this type of epilepsy I would refer you to a reputable medical information site, of course! But if you would just like an interesting read go to http://www.vice.com/read/fear-of-music-488-v17n8 and have a look!If you'd rather not read through a whole article to get to the good stuff here is the transcribed section on audiogenic epilepsy:
Dr. Marsha Johnson, audiologist and clinical director at the Oregon Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Clinic, has treated those who suffer from melophobia, and the conditions that lead to this perplexing phobia, for 13 years. We recently spoke with her.Are you familiar with the condition known as musicogenic epilepsy? I’m thinking of a woman who was in the news in 2008. Her name was Stacey Gayle, and she was from Queens, New York. She had seizures every time she heard the Sean Paul song “Temperature.” She had to have a brain operation to correct the problem.Yes, although I’m more familiar with the term “audiogenic seizure disorder,” which falls into the hearing category. It’s also known as vestibular hyperacusis. Certain sounds or tones, aka music, can stimulate the central nervous system in a way that provokes a brain seizure. I have seen quite a few of these cases over the years. They are often induced by a closed head injury or an illness. I recall one fellow who was in a rear-end whiplash car accident. A 2,000 Hz pure tone was presented to his left ear in a sound booth, first at zero dB, which is inaudible, and then raised slowly one dB by one dB; he went into a grand mal seizure at about 20 dB—which is a very soft sound. Another such patient, following a similar car accident, suffered complete loss of consciousness when trucks roared by, with their lower-frequency rumbles. She would fall to the ground, senseless. In that case, I suggested the neurologist conduct a resting EEG, and this showed that her brain was normal when resting in a quiet environment. When an audiometer was attached via headphones and a stimulus at 500 Hz, a low pitch, was presented, her brain EEG showed epileptic-type activity.
