Over at Mind Hacks they mention an interesting case from Journal of Forensic Sciences on the surprisingly complexity of epileptic fits, one case which resulted in an urge to remove clothing. The post mentions the legal consequences of such behaviour, although I think it says some interesting things about “voluntary” behaviour and just how complex reflexes can be.
Case #1 involves a women in her mid-30s with seizures that begin with an aura of “needing to look for something” followed by prominent sensations of heat. The patient often fans herself during seizures. During a clinic visit, she was observed to have acomplex partial seizure during which she reached into her blouse and pulled out her bra. In the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU), she had two complex partial seizures, one of which involved disrobing behavior.
