Hypermetamorphosis

Hypermetamorphosis

Hypermetamorphosis is an overattention to external stimuli. Patients with hypermetamorphosis may explore compulsively and touch everything in their environment. This is one element of the environmental dependency syndrome and may be associated with other forms of utilization behavior, imitation behavior (echolalia, echopraxia) and Frontal Release Signs, such as the grasp reflex. It occurs with severe frontal lobe damage and may be observed following recovery from herpes simplex encephalitis and in frontal lobe dementias including Pick’s disease. Bitemporal lobectomy may also result in hypermetamorphosis, as a feature of the Klüver-Bucy syndrome.

Cross References

Attention; Echolalia; Echopraxia; Frontal Release Signs; Grasp reflex; Imitation behavior; Klüver-Bucy syndrome; Utilization behavior