The neurologist spoke about the causes of spontaneous laughter.

Laughter can be a manifestation of pathological processes in the brain or changes in the psyche: from a defensive reaction to severe stress to symptoms of serious diseases. Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, an expert at the Hemotest laboratory and a neurologist, told Izvestia on April 1 in which cases inappropriate laughter is the norm and in which cases it should arouse suspicion.

According to the expert, laughter as an inappropriate reaction can occur in various conditions, from organic brain damage to mental disorders. These can be the consequences of a stroke or traumatic brain injury, bulky education, neurodegenerative diseases, some forms of epilepsy, as well as mental disorders in which brain structures remain anatomically intact, but control over sudden outbursts of emotions and perception of reality are disrupted.

One of the most famous examples is pseudobulbar syndrome. This condition occurs when the brain is damaged, for example, after a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurodegenerative diseases. A person may suddenly start laughing or crying, along with speaking indistinctly.

Involuntary laughter can also occur in a rare form of epilepsy, when special seizures occur — gelastic. They are accompanied by sudden bursts of laughter or smiles without emotion of joy. In this case, such a reaction is a manifestation of convulsive brain activity. Sometimes unreasonable laughter can be a symptom of a brain tumor, dementia, for example, Alzheimer's disease.

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As the doctor noted, pathological violent laughter can be distinguished from the manifestation of joy by other concomitant symptoms: general weakness, impaired speech, memory, or behavior. In this case, it should not be ignored — it is necessary to schedule a doctor's visit and undergo an examination.

"Mental disorders should be mentioned separately. For example, a person may be overly cheerful in manic states. In this case, he will laugh a lot for no reason, talk very quickly, sleep little, and do impulsive things," she said.

In some cases, excessive, inappropriate, and sometimes uncontrollable laughter occurs in completely healthy people, for example, when discussing painful topics or during periods of severe stress. In this case, it acts as a kind of protective emotional reaction, helps to mask anxiety or vulnerability, and relieve tension.

"This is a normal psychological mechanism: laughter can help to cope with internal stress, especially in situations where it is difficult to express emotions directly. Such laughter usually does not require treatment, but the reaction, if it interferes, can be corrected in sessions with a psychologist or psychotherapist," the doctor said.

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Olga Butenko, a pediatric neurologist at the Medin Medical Center, said on March 26 that epilepsy attacks can occur in different areas of the brain, which affects movement, speech, memory and other functions. The causes of epilepsy can be different, including genetic characteristics, injuries, strokes, and brain tumors.

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