Pathophysiological aspects of dysphoric states.

Dysphoric states have been of particular interest for a long time since they occur not only in patients with psycho-organic syndromes but also in those with manic-depressive disease. This paper discusses some aspects of dysphoria from the pathophysiological point of view. Data mostly derived from epileptic patients indicate the critical role the limbic system plays in the control of emotions. It is suggested that functional alterations within the limbic system and its manifold interconnections to other parts of the central nervous system are responsible for characteristic pathophysiological phenomena as, e.g., dysphoria.