Citation

Granadillo ED, Mendez MF. J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2016; 28(3): 162-167.

Affiliation

From the Depts. of Neurology (EG, MFM) and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (MFM), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; and the Neurology Service (MFM), Neurobehavior Unit (EG), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Neuropsychiatric Association, Publisher American Psychiatric Publishing)

DOI

10.1176/appi.neuropsych.15090238

PMID

26900737

Abstract

Humor, or the perception or elicitation of mirth and funniness, is distinguishable from laughter and can be differentially disturbed by neuropsychiatric disease. The authors describe two patients with constant joking, or Witzelsucht, in the absence of pseudobulbar affect and review the literature on pathological humor. These patients had involvement of frontal structures, impaired appreciation of nonsimple humor, and a compulsion for disinhibited joking. Current neuroscience suggests that impaired humor integration from right lateral frontal injury and disinhibition from orbitofrontal damage results in disinhibited humor, preferentially activating limbic and subcortical reward centers. Additional frontal-subcortical circuit dysfunction may promote pathological joking as a compulsion.

Language: en