Auras and experiential responses arising in the temporal lobe.

Complex partial seizures and the auras that precede them are often manifestations of localized temporal lobe activity. Auras, unlike complex partial seizures, are reportable, since memory for them is retained. Similar experiences can be elicited by local electrical stimulation of mesial or lateral temporal cortex. Auras and "experiential phenomena" arising in the temporal lobe reflect dissociation of human experience into perceptual, mnemonic, and affective components, which in some cases can be specifically localized. Auras often persist following medial temporal lobe surgery, even when patients are rendered seizure-free. This suggests that these auras, like formed memories, are widely distributed and may eventually become consolidated in the neocortex.