A neurologist, at age 55, developed an irrepressible urge to rhyme after a series of strokes and seizures; on recovery, he described the emergence of an irresistible urge to rhyme, even in thought and daily speech

The neurologist who could not stop rhyming and rapping. Mario F. Mendez. Neurocase, Jan 23 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/13554794.2022.2027455

Abstract: A neurologist, at age 55, developed an irrepressible urge to rhyme after a series of strokes and seizures. His strokes included right posterior cerebellar and right thalamic infarctions, and his subsequent focal-onset seizures emanated from the left frontotemporal region. On recovery, he described the emergence of an irresistible urge to rhyme, even in thought and daily speech. His pronounced focus on rhyming led him to actively participate in freestyle rap and improvisation. This patient’s rhyming and rapping may have been initially facilitated by epileptiform activation of word sound associations but perpetuated as compensation for impaired cerebellar effects on timed anticipation.

Keywords: Rhymerapepilepsyrhythmbrainvascular cognitive impairment