Amusia after right frontal resection for epilepsy with singing seizures: case report and review of the literature

Although many authors consider aprosodia and amusia to be synonymous, they actually represent two distinct communication disorders. Amusia refers to a profound deficit involving musical abilities, whereas aprosodia refers to deficits regarding the emotional content of speech. Many authors have presumed a similar etiology and localization for these conditions and assumed that these disorders would not occur independently. We report the case of a 31-year-old choir director who developed amusia without aprosodia after a right frontal lobe resection for intractable seizures. His ictal onset manifested with rhythmic slapping of his thighs while communicating with melodic speech. Video EEG monitoring documented right hemispheric discharges that occurred simultaneously with this ictal behavior. While a right frontal lobe resection made him seizure-free, his postoperative amusia was so profound that he could no longer continue his occupation as a choir director. This case suggests that the right frontal cortex has different sites for musical ability distinct from the centers regarding prosody. Patients scheduled to undergo right frontal lobectomy ought to be counseled regarding the potential loss of musical abilities. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.