Abstract
ObjectiveTo evaluate the neural correlates of implicit processing of negative emotions in motor conversion disorder (CD) patients compared to healthy controls. We predicted increased amygdala responses in CD patients with...
Highlights
Conversion disorder (CD), formerly called hysteria but referred to as functional neurological symptom disorder[1], is the presence of neurological symptoms in the absence of neurological disease
A similar limbic-motor interaction has been shown in CD patients presenting with movement disorders during an implicit emotion task with increased amygdala and SMA functional connectivity along with some evidence of a failure to habituate to emotional stimuli[5]
There were no differences in reaction times between patients with conversion disorder (mean RT in ms (±SD): Neutral: 1046(±127) / Fear: 1027(±147) patients / Sad: 980(±125) and healthy controls (Neutral: 1026 (±165) Fear:1004(±166) / Sad: 998(±131) [(F(1,24) = 0.026, p = 0.87)
Summary
Conversion disorder (CD), formerly called hysteria but referred to as functional neurological symptom disorder[1], is the presence of neurological symptoms in the absence of neurological disease. We have recently shown abnormal activation in cortical regions during an emotional memory task (recall of stressful events of likely aetiological significance) This included abnormal activation in motor planning (supplementary motor area—SMA) and sensory integration regions (right temporo-parietal junction) as well as frontal lobe emotional control areas in patients with sensori-motor CD[4]. A similar limbic-motor interaction has been shown in CD patients presenting with movement disorders during an implicit emotion task (processing of emotional—fearful and happy—faces) with increased amygdala and SMA functional connectivity along with some evidence of a failure to habituate to emotional stimuli[5]. The amygdala ( the centromedial nuclei) has been shown to be involved in affective-motor pathways, both in animals and humans, which might mediate complex motor functions such as the startle response or flight reaction[9]
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