Impaired freeze response in psychogenic (functional) movement disorder patients during exposure to stress

Abstract

Objective: The freeze response, a reduced body motion as reaction to threats, is typically observed in healthy humans exposed to stress. Patients affected by psychogenic (functional) movement disorders (PMD) have abnormal processing of stress, and present hyper-activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adre- nal-axis stress system (elevated cortisol levels).