Klüver-Bucy syndrome

[ kloo-ver-byoo-see ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. a syndrome caused by bilateral injury to the temporal lobes and characterized by memory defect, hypersexuality, excessive oral behavior, and diminished fear reactions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Klüver-Bucy syndrome¹

Named after German-born U.S. neurologist Heinrich Klüver (1898–1979) and U.S. neurologist Paul Clancy Bucy (1904–92), who jointly described it in 1938

Example Sentences

The behavior has been given a name in medical circles, Klüver-Bucy Syndrome, and can cause “abnormalities in memory, social and sexual functioning and idiosyncratic behaviors,” according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

From New York Times

Although Klüver-Bucy Syndrome relatively rare, it's one of the most notorious neurological causes of a complete breakdown in one's ability to control sexual urges.

From Slate

It may be awkward enough telling other parents why your preschooler is humping everything in sight—just try rehashing the foregoing description of Klüver-Bucy Syndrome to your friends at the day care—but we do tend, as adults, to be mostly forgiving of a child's improprieties.

From Slate

Dramatic case studies illustrating the devastating effects of Klüver-Bucy Syndrome abound in the clinical literature, and they raise intriguing philosophical questions for us to consider.

From Slate