Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 May;12(5):677-686.
doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.206636.

Neurological and neuropsychological consequences of electrical and lightning shock: review and theories of causation

Christopher J Andrews  1 , Andrew D Reisner  2
Affiliations
Review

Neurological and neuropsychological consequences of electrical and lightning shock: review and theories of causation

Christopher J Andrews et al. Neural Regen Res. 2017 May.

Abstract

Injuries from lightning and electrical injuries involve multiple systems of the body, however neurological symptoms are very widely reported. A disabling neuropsychological syndrome is also noted. This paper presents a comprehensive review of neurological and neuropsychological symptoms. Partial theories of causation for these injuries have been advanced, however, there is no convincing explanation for both delay in onset of symptoms and also the genesis of the neuropsychological syndrome. A theory of causation is proposed which satisfies both these constraints. This theory suggests circulating hormones such as cortisol, together with nitric oxide and oxidant free radicals from glutamatergic hyper-stimulation, act on tissues remote from the injury path including the hippocampus. This theory opens a research path to explore treatment options.

Keywords: electrical injury; injury; lightning injury; neurology; neuropsychiatry; neuropsychology; trauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: Both authors declare no conflict of interest in the preparation of this paper.

References

    1. Abhinav K, Al-Chalabi A, Hortobagyi T, Leigh PN. Electrical injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review of the literature. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2007;78:450–453. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abt JL. The pupillary responses after being struck by lightning. JAMA. 1985;254:3312. - PubMed
    1. Adler C, Caviness J. Dystonia secondary to electrical injury: surface electromyographic evaluation and implications for the organicity of the condition. J Neurol Sci. 1997;148:187–192. - PubMed
    1. Andrews CJ. Electrical theory for the non-electrical: Understanding electrical conduction in the body, and electrical injuries. In. 2017
    1. Andrews CJ. Elec Engg. Brisbane Australia: Univ Qld., Australia; 1993. Studies in aspects of lightning injuries.