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Gálber M, Anett Nagy S, Orsi G, Perlaki G, Simon M, Czéh B. Depressed patients with childhood maltreatment display altered intra- and inter-network resting state functional connectivity. Neuroimage Clin 2024; 43:103632. [PMID: 38889524 PMCID: PMC11231604 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a major risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). To gain more knowledge on how adverse childhood experiences influence the development of brain architecture, we studied functional connectivity (FC) alterations of neural networks of depressed patients with, or without the history of CM. METHODS Depressed patients with severe childhood maltreatment (n = 18), MDD patients without maltreatment (n = 19), and matched healthy controls (n = 20) were examined with resting state functional MRI. History of maltreatment was assessed with the 28-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Intra- and inter-network FC alterations were evaluated using FMRIB Software Library and CONN toolbox. RESULTS We found numerous intra- and inter-network FC alterations between the maltreated and the non-maltreated patients. Intra-network FC differences were found in the default mode, visual and auditory networks, and cerebellum. Network modelling revealed several inter-network FC alterations connecting the default mode network with the executive control, salience and cerebellar networks. Increased inter-network FC was found in maltreated patients between the sensory-motor and visual, cerebellar, default mode and salience networks. LIMITATIONS Relatively small sample size, cross-sectional design, and retrospective self-report questionnaire to assess adverse childhood experiences. CONCLUSIONS Our findings confirm that severely maltreated depressed patients display numerous alterations of intra- and inter-network FC strengths, not only in their fronto-limbic circuits, but also in sensory-motor, visual, auditory, and cerebellar networks. These functional alterations may explain that maltreated individuals typically display altered perception and are prone to develop functional neurological symptom disorder (conversion disorder) in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Gálber
- Neurobiology of Stress Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Anett Nagy
- Neurobiology of Stress Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; HUN-REN-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Pécs Diagnostic Centre, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Gergely Orsi
- HUN-REN-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Pécs Diagnostic Centre, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Hungary
| | - Gábor Perlaki
- HUN-REN-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Pécs Diagnostic Centre, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Hungary
| | - Maria Simon
- Neurobiology of Stress Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Hungary
| | - Boldizsár Czéh
- Neurobiology of Stress Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
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Jungilligens J, Perez DL. Predictive Processing and the Pathophysiology of Functional Neurological Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 38755514 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2024_473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The contemporary neuroscience understanding of the brain as an active inference organ supports that our conscious experiences, including sensorimotor perceptions, depend on the integration of probabilistic predictions with incoming sensory input across hierarchically organized levels. As in other systems, these complex processes are prone to error under certain circumstances, which may lead to alterations in their outcomes (i.e., variations in sensations and movements). Such variations are an important aspect of functional neurological disorder, a complex disorder at the interface of brain-mind-body interactions. Thus, predictive processing frameworks offer fundamental mechanistic insights into the pathophysiology of functional neurological disorder. In recent years, many of the aspects relevant to the neurobiology of functional neurological disorder - e.g., aberrant motor and sensory processes, symptom expectation, self-agency, and illness beliefs, as well as interoception, allostasis, and emotion - have been investigated through the lens of predictive processing frameworks. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of research on predictive processing and the pathophysiology of functional neurological disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Jungilligens
- Behavioral Neurology Research Group, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - David L Perez
- Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Lewis EC, Jaeger A, Girn M, Omene E, Brendle M, Argento E. Exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy in the treatment of functional seizures: A review of underlying mechanisms and associated brain networks. J Psychopharmacol 2024; 38:407-416. [PMID: 38654554 PMCID: PMC11102649 DOI: 10.1177/02698811241248395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Functional seizures (FS), the most common subtype of functional neurological disorder (FND), cause serious neurological disability and significantly impact quality of life. Characterized by episodic disturbances of functioning that resemble epileptic seizures, FS coincide with multiple comorbidities and are treated poorly by existing approaches. Novel treatment approaches are sorely needed. Notably, mounting evidence supports the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) for several psychiatric conditions, motivating investigations into whether this efficacy also extends to neurological disorders. Here, we synthesize past empirical findings and frameworks to construct a biopsychosocial mechanistic argument for the potential of PAT as a treatment for FS. In doing so, we highlight FS as a well-defined cohort to further understand the large-scale neural mechanisms underpinning PAT. Our synthesis is guided by a complexity science perspective which we contend can afford unique mechanistic insight into both FS and PAT, as well as help bridge these two domains. We also leverage this perspective to propose a novel analytic roadmap to identify markers of FS diagnostic specificity and treatment success. This endeavor continues the effort to bridge clinical neurology with psychedelic medicine and helps pave the way for a new field of psychedelic neurology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Cole Lewis
- Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Manesh Girn
- Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Madeline Brendle
- Numinus Wellness Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Health Outcomes Division, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Elena Argento
- Numinus Wellness Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
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4
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Kozlowska K, Scher S. Recent advances in understanding the neurobiology of pediatric functional neurological disorder. Expert Rev Neurother 2024; 24:497-516. [PMID: 38591353 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2024.2333390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that manifests in a broad array of functional motor, sensory, or cognitive symptoms, which arise from complex interactions between brain, mind, body, and context. Children with FND make up 10%-20% of presentations to neurology services in children's hospitals and up to 20% of adolescents admitted to hospital for the management of intractable seizures. AREAS COVERED The current review focuses on the neurobiology of pediatric FND. The authors present an overview of the small but growing body of research pertaining to the biological, emotion-processing, cognitive, mental health, physical health, and social system levels. EXPERT OPINION Emerging research suggests that pediatric FND is underpinned by aberrant changes within and between neuron-glial (brain) networks, with a variety of factors - on multiple system levels - contributing to brain network changes. In pediatric practice, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are commonly reported, and activation or dysregulation of stress-system components is a frequent finding. Our growing understanding of the neurobiology of pediatric FND has yielded important flow-on effects for assessing and diagnosing FND, for developing targeted treatment interventions, and for improving the treatment outcomes of children and adolescents with FND.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasia Kozlowska
- The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute of Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- University of Sydney Medical School, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen Scher
- University of Sydney Medical School, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
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5
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Jimenez-Marin A, Diez I, Erramuzpe A, Stramaglia S, Bonifazi P, Cortes JM. Open datasets and code for multi-scale relations on structure, function and neuro-genetics in the human brain. Sci Data 2024; 11:256. [PMID: 38424112 PMCID: PMC10904384 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03060-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The human brain is an extremely complex network of structural and functional connections that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Investigating the relationship between these multi-scale connections is critical to advancing our comprehension of brain function and disorders. However, accurately predicting structural connectivity from its functional counterpart remains a challenging pursuit. One of the major impediments is the lack of public repositories that integrate structural and functional networks at diverse resolutions, in conjunction with modular transcriptomic profiles, which are essential for comprehensive biological interpretation. To mitigate this limitation, our contribution encompasses the provision of an open-access dataset consisting of derivative matrices of functional and structural connectivity across multiple scales, accompanied by code that facilitates the investigation of their interrelations. We also provide additional resources focused on neuro-genetic associations of module-level network metrics, which present promising opportunities to further advance research in the field of network neuroscience, particularly concerning brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Jimenez-Marin
- Computational Neuroimaging Lab, Biobizkaia HRI, Barakaldo, Spain
- Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Ibai Diez
- Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
| | - Asier Erramuzpe
- Computational Neuroimaging Lab, Biobizkaia HRI, Barakaldo, Spain
- IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Sebastiano Stramaglia
- Dipartamento Interateneo di Fisica, Universita Degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, INFN, Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Bonifazi
- Computational Neuroimaging Lab, Biobizkaia HRI, Barakaldo, Spain
- IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Jesus M Cortes
- Computational Neuroimaging Lab, Biobizkaia HRI, Barakaldo, Spain.
- IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
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Yu M, Risacher SL, Nho KT, Wen Q, Oblak AL, Unverzagt FW, Apostolova LG, Farlow MR, Brosch JR, Clark DG, Wang S, Deardorff R, Wu YC, Gao S, Sporns O, Saykin AJ. Spatial transcriptomic patterns underlying amyloid-β and tau pathology are associated with cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113691. [PMID: 38244198 PMCID: PMC10926093 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau proteins accumulate within distinct neuronal systems in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although it is not clear why certain brain regions are more vulnerable to Aβ and tau pathologies than others, gene expression may play a role. We study the association between brain-wide gene expression profiles and regional vulnerability to Aβ (gene-to-Aβ associations) and tau (gene-to-tau associations) pathologies by leveraging two large independent AD cohorts. We identify AD susceptibility genes and gene modules in a gene co-expression network with expression profiles specifically related to regional vulnerability to Aβ and tau pathologies in AD. In addition, we identify distinct biochemical pathways associated with the gene-to-Aβ and the gene-to-tau associations. These findings may explain the discordance between regional Aβ and tau pathologies. Finally, we propose an analytic framework, linking the identified gene-to-pathology associations to cognitive dysfunction in AD at the individual level, suggesting potential clinical implication of the gene-to-pathology associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meichen Yu
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana University Network Science Institute, Bloomington, IN, USA.
| | - Shannon L Risacher
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Kwangsik T Nho
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana University Network Science Institute, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Qiuting Wen
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Adrian L Oblak
- Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Frederick W Unverzagt
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Liana G Apostolova
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Martin R Farlow
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jared R Brosch
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - David G Clark
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sophia Wang
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Rachael Deardorff
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yu-Chien Wu
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sujuan Gao
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Olaf Sporns
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana University Network Science Institute, Bloomington, IN, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Andrew J Saykin
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana University Network Science Institute, Bloomington, IN, USA.
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7
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Liu S, Fan D, He C, Liu X, Zhang H, Zhang H, Zhang Z, Xie C. Resting-state cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity abnormalities in depressed patients with childhood maltreatment: Potential biomarkers of vulnerability? Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 78:41-50. [PMID: 37781929 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
AIM Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an important risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to explore the specific effect of CM on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and brain functional connectivity (FC) in MDD patients. METHODS A total of 150 subjects were collected including 55 MDD patients with CM, 34 MDD patients without CM, 19 healthy controls (HC) with CM, and 42 HC without CM. All subjects completed MRI scans and neuropsychological tests. Two-way analysis of covariance was used to detect the main and interactive effects of disease and CM on CBF and FC across subjects. Then, partial correlation analyses were conducted to explore the behavioral significance of altered CBF and FC in MDD patients. Finally, a support vector classifier model was applied to differentiate MDD patients. RESULTS MDD patients represented increased CBF in bilateral temporal lobe and decreased CBF in right visual cortex. Importantly, significant depression-by-CM interactive effects on CBF were primarily located in the frontoparietal regions, including orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), and parietal cortex. Moreover, significant FC abnormalities were seen in OFC-PFC and frontoparietal-visual cortex. Notably, the abnormal CBF and FC were significantly associated with behavioral performance. Finally, a combination of altered CBF and FC behaved with a satisfactory classification ability to differentiate MDD patients. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight the importance of frontoparietal and visual cortices for MDD with CM experience, proposing a potential neuroimaging biomarker for MDD identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangni Liu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dandan Fan
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Cancan He
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinyi Liu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haisan Zhang
- Psychology School of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Henan Provincial Mental Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Xinxiang Key Laboratory of Multimodal Brain Imaging, Henan Provincial Mental Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Hongxing Zhang
- Psychology School of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Henan Provincial Mental Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Xinxiang Key Laboratory of Multimodal Brain Imaging, Henan Provincial Mental Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhijun Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Neuropsychiatric Institute, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chunming Xie
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Neuropsychiatric Institute, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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8
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Drane DL, Hewitt KC, Price ME, Rush BK, Blackmon K, Okada N, Shade T, Valentin E, Vinson J, Rosen P, Loring DW. Case study of invalid to valid shift in cognitive performance following successful treatment of psychogenic nonepileptic seizure events. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2023; 45:1024-1038. [PMID: 38533868 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2024.2335600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES) who fail performance validity testing (PVT) may appear to produce non-valid cognitive profiles. Consequently, they may not get referred to treatment and events persist, with worsening disability and high resource utilization. As a result, we report pre- and post-treatment neuropsychological evaluation findings in a 59-year-old woman with a confirmed diagnosis of PNES established using video-EEG monitoring. At pre-treatment baseline neuropsychological evaluation, PNES events occurred weekly to daily. Performance was impaired across PVTs and across multiple cognitive domains. After behavioral intervention specific to PNES, these events substantially reduced in frequency to rare stress-induced flares. Post-treatment neuropsychological evaluation revealed marked improvement of most cognitive and behavioral scores from baseline, and valid PVT scores. We review predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors for PNES and cognitive impairment in this case and discuss the patient's outcome from treatment. Effectively managing PNES events and dissociative tendencies while reducing unnecessary pharmacological interventions appears to have allowed this patient to function closer to her optimal state. This case illustrates the complexity of Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND) clinical presentation and challenges the assumption that suboptimal neuropsychological performance predicts poor treatment engagement and outcome. We showcase the reversibility of PNES and cognitive manifestations of FND using targeted psychotherapeutic interventions, which resulted in reduced disability and associated healthcare costs, as well as re-engagement in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Drane
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kelsey C Hewitt
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michele E Price
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Beth K Rush
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Karen Blackmon
- Brain and Mind Institute, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Noah Okada
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Taylor Shade
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Edward Valentin
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joseph Vinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Phyllis Rosen
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David W Loring
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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9
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Kozlowska K, Schollar-Root O, Savage B, Hawkes C, Chudleigh C, Raghunandan J, Scher S, Helgeland H. Illness-Promoting Psychological Processes in Children and Adolescents with Functional Neurological Disorder. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1724. [PMID: 38002815 PMCID: PMC10670544 DOI: 10.3390/children10111724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that subjective distress in children with functional neurological disorder (FND) is associated with stress-system dysregulation and modulates aberrant changes in neural networks. The current study documents illness-promoting psychological processes in 76 children with FND (60 girls and 16 boys, aged 10.00-17.08 years) admitted to the Mind-Body Program. The children completed a comprehensive family assessment and self-report measures, and they worked with the clinical team to identify psychological processes during their inpatient admission. A total of 47 healthy controls (35 girls and 12 boys, aged 8.58-17.92 years) also completed self-report measures, but were not assessed for illness-promoting psychological processes. Children with FND (vs. controls) reported higher levels of subjective distress (total DASS score, t(104.24) = 12.18; p ˂ 0.001) and more adverse childhood experiences across their lifespans (total ELSQ score, t(88.57) = 9.38; p ˂ 0.001). Illness-promoting psychological processes were identified in all children with FND. Most common were the following: chronic worries about schoolwork, friendships, or parental wellbeing (n = 64; 84.2%); attention to symptoms (n = 61; 80.3%); feeling sad (n = 58; 76.3%); experiencing a low sense of control (helplessness) in relation to symptoms (n = 44; 57.9%); pushing difficult thoughts out of mind (n = 44; 57.9%); self-critical rumination (n = 42; 55.3%); negative/catastrophic-symptom expectations (n = 40; 52.6%); avoidance of activities (n = 38; 50%); intrusive thoughts/feelings/memories associated with adverse events (n = 38, 50%); and pushing difficult feelings out of mind (n = 37; 48.7%). In children with FND-disabled enough to be admitted for inpatient treatment-illness-promoting psychological processes are part of the clinical presentation. They contribute to the child's ongoing sense of subjective distress, and if not addressed can maintain the illness process. A range of clinical interventions used to address illness-promoting psychological processes are discussed, along with illustrative vignettes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasia Kozlowska
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; (O.S.-R.); (B.S.); (C.H.); (J.R.)
- Child and Adolescent Heath and Specialty of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute of Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Olivia Schollar-Root
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; (O.S.-R.); (B.S.); (C.H.); (J.R.)
| | - Blanche Savage
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; (O.S.-R.); (B.S.); (C.H.); (J.R.)
- Golden Wattle Clinical Psychology, 20 Jarrett St, Leichhardt, NSW 2040, Australia
| | - Clare Hawkes
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; (O.S.-R.); (B.S.); (C.H.); (J.R.)
| | - Catherine Chudleigh
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; (O.S.-R.); (B.S.); (C.H.); (J.R.)
- Golden Wattle Clinical Psychology, 20 Jarrett St, Leichhardt, NSW 2040, Australia
| | - Jyoti Raghunandan
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; (O.S.-R.); (B.S.); (C.H.); (J.R.)
| | - Stephen Scher
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
- Specialty of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Helene Helgeland
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Hospitals, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway;
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Watson M, Woodward J, Strom LA. The Financial Burden of Functional Neurological Disorders. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2023; 23:637-643. [PMID: 37695443 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-023-01298-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common and severely debilitating condition lacking clinical ownership, existing between neurology and psychiatry. This article reports the findings of recent research investigating the economic costs of FND diagnosis and management. We define what the costs are, why they exist, and suggest actionable steps to reduce them. RECENT FINDINGS The financial burden of FND exists across the globe characterized by high healthcare utilization resulting in exorbitant direct and indirect costs for the patient, healthcare system, and society. Inadequate medical education and stigmatization of the disorder prolong the time to diagnosis, during which cyclical utilization of inpatient and emergency department services drive up costs. Despite being cost-effective, lack of accessible treatment compounds the issue, leaving patients without a reliable exit. Recent findings support an increased awareness and the need for a cultural shift to overcome the financial burden associated with this underserved population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan Watson
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.
| | - Jared Woodward
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Laura A Strom
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
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11
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Long J, Li J, Xie B, Jiao Z, Shen G, Liao W, Song X, Le H, Xia J, Wu S. Morphometric similarity network alterations in COVID-19 survivors correlate with behavioral features and transcriptional signatures. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103498. [PMID: 37643521 PMCID: PMC10474075 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the differences in the cortical morphometric similarity network (MSN) between COVID-19 survivors and healthy controls, and the correlation between these differences and behavioralfeatures and transcriptional signatures. MATERIALS & METHODS 39 COVID-19 survivors and 39 age-, sex- and education years-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. All participants underwent MRI and behavioral assessments (PCL-17, GAD-7, PHQ-9). MSN analysis was used to compute COVID-19 survivors vs. HCs differences across brain regions. Correlation analysis was used to determine the associations between regional MSN differences and behavioral assessments, and determine the spatial similarities between regional MSN differences and risk genes transcriptional activity. RESULTS COVID-19 survivors exhibited decreased regional MSN in insula, precuneus, transverse temporal, entorhinal, para-hippocampal, rostral middle frontal and supramarginal cortices, and increased regional MSN in pars triangularis, lateral orbitofrontal, superior frontal, superior parietal, postcentral, and inferior temporal cortices. Regional MSN value of lateral orbitofrontal cortex was positively associated with GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores, and rostral middle frontal was negatively related to PHQ-9 scores. The analysis of spatial similarities showed that seven risk genes (MFGE8, MOB2, NUP62, PMPCA, SDSL, TMEM178B, and ZBTB11) were related to regional MSN values. CONCLUSION The MSN differences were associated with behavioral and transcriptional signatures, early psychological counseling or intervention may be required to COVID-19 survivors. Our study provided a new insight into understanding the altered coordination of structure in COVID-19 and may offer a new endophenotype to further investigate the brain substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Long
- Department of Radiology, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China
| | - Jiao Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, 610054, PR China
| | - Bing Xie
- Department of Radiology, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China
| | - Zhuomin Jiao
- Department of Neurology, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China
| | - Guoqiang Shen
- Department of Radiology, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China
| | - Wei Liao
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, 610054, PR China
| | - Xiaomin Song
- Department of Radiology, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China
| | - Hongbo Le
- Department of Radiology, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China.
| | - Jun Xia
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, PR China.
| | - Song Wu
- South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518116, PR China.
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12
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Yu M, Risacher SL, Nho KT, Wen Q, Oblak AL, Unverzagt FW, Apostolova LG, Farlow MR, Brosch JR, Clark DG, Wang S, Deardorff R, Wu YC, Gao S, Sporns O, Saykin AJ. Spatial transcriptomic patterns underlying regional vulnerability to amyloid-β and tau pathologies and their relationships to cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.08.12.23294017. [PMID: 37645867 PMCID: PMC10462206 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.12.23294017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau proteins accumulate within distinct neuronal systems in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although it is not clear why certain brain regions are more vulnerable to Aβ and tau pathologies than others, gene expression may play a role. We studied the association between brain-wide gene expression profiles and regional vulnerability to Aβ (gene-to-Aβ associations) and tau (gene-to-tau associations) pathologies leveraging two large independent cohorts (n = 715) of participants along the AD continuum. We identified several AD susceptibility genes and gene modules in a gene co-expression network with expression profiles related to regional vulnerability to Aβ and tau pathologies in AD. In particular, we found that the positive APOE -to-tau association was only seen in the AD cohort, whereas patients with AD and frontotemporal dementia shared similar positive MAPT -to-tau association. Some AD candidate genes showed sex-dependent negative gene-to-Aβ and gene-to-tau associations. In addition, we identified distinct biochemical pathways associated with the gene-to-Aβ and the gene-to-tau associations. Finally, we proposed a novel analytic framework, linking the identified gene-to-pathology associations to cognitive dysfunction in AD at the individual level, suggesting potential clinical implication of the gene-to-pathology associations. Taken together, our study identified distinct gene expression profiles and biochemical pathways that may explain the discordance between regional Aβ and tau pathologies, and filled the gap between gene-to-pathology associations and cognitive dysfunction in individual AD patients that may ultimately help identify novel personalized pathogenetic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. One Sentence Summary We identified replicable cognition-related associations between regional gene expression profiles and selectively regional vulnerability to amyloid-β and tau pathologies in AD.
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13
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Asadi-Pooya AA, Hallett M, Mirzaei Damabi N, Fazelian Dehkordi K. Genetics of Functional Seizures; A Scoping Systematic Review. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1537. [PMID: 37628589 PMCID: PMC10454456 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence on the genetics of functional seizures is scarce, and the purpose of the current scoping systematic review is to examine the existing evidence and propose how to advance the field. METHODS Web of science and MEDLINE were searched, from their initiation until May 2023. The following key words were used: functional neurological disorder(s), psychogenic neurological disorder(s), functional movement disorder(s), psychogenic movement disorder(s), functional seizures(s), psychogenic seizure(s), nonepileptic seizure(s), dissociative seizure(s), or psychogenic nonepileptic seizure(s), AND, gene, genetic(s), polymorphism, genome, epigenetics, copy number variant, copy number variation(s), whole exome sequencing, or next-generation sequencing. RESULTS We identified three original studies. In one study, the authors observed that six (5.9%) patients with functional seizures carried pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants. In another study, the authors observed that, in functional seizures, there was a significant correlation with genes that are over-represented in adrenergic, serotonergic, oxytocin, opioid, and GABA receptor signaling pathways. In the third study, the authors observed that patients with functional seizures, as well as patients with depression, had significantly different genotypes in FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms compared with controls. CONCLUSION Future genetic investigations of patients with functional seizures would increase our understanding of the pathophysiological and neurobiological problems underlying this common neuropsychological stress-associated condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali A. Asadi-Pooya
- Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71438, Iran; (N.M.D.); (K.F.D.)
- Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Mark Hallett
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Nafiseh Mirzaei Damabi
- Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71438, Iran; (N.M.D.); (K.F.D.)
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Spagnolo PA, Johnson K, Hodgkinson C, Goldman D, Hallett M. Methylome changes associated with functional movement/conversion disorder: Influence of biological sex and childhood abuse exposure. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 125:110756. [PMID: 36958667 PMCID: PMC10205664 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation (DNAm), may represent an important mechanism implicated in the etiopathogenesis of functional movement/conversion disorder (FMD). Here, we aimed to identify methylomic variations in a case-control cohort of FMD and to uncover specific epigenetic signatures associated with female sex and childhood abuse, two key risk factors for FMD and other functional neurological disorders. Genome-wide DNAm analysis was performed from peripheral blood in 57 patients with FMD and 47 healthy controls with and without childhood abuse. Using principal component analysis, we examined the association of principal components with FMD status in abused and non-abused individuals, in the entire study sample and in female subjects only. Next, we used enrichment pathway analysis to investigate the biological significance of DNAm changes and explored differences in methylation levels of genes annotated to the top enriched biological pathways shared across comparisons. We found that FMD was associated with DNAm variation across the genome and identified a common epigenetic 'signature' enriched for biological pathways implicated in chronic stress and chronic pain. However, methylation levels of genes included in the top two shared pathways hardly overlapped, suggesting that transcriptional profiles may differ as a function of childhood abuse exposure and sex among subjects with FMD. This study is unique in providing genome-wide evidence of DNAm changes in FMD and in indicating a potential mechanism linking childhood abuse exposure and female sex to differences in FMD pathophysiology. Future studies are needed to replicate our findings in independent cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Primavera A Spagnolo
- Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kory Johnson
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Colin Hodgkinson
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David Goldman
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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15
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Weber S, Bühler J, Vanini G, Loukas S, Bruckmaier R, Aybek S. Identification of biopsychological trait markers in functional neurological disorders. Brain 2023; 146:2627-2641. [PMID: 36417451 PMCID: PMC10232283 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a well-known risk factor to develop a functional neurological disorder, a frequent neuropsychiatric medical condition in which patients experience a variety of disabling neurological symptoms. Only little is known about biological stress regulation, and how it interacts with predisposing biological and psychosocial risk factors. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with functional neurological disorders has been postulated, but its relationship to preceding psychological trauma and brain anatomical changes remains to be elucidated. We set out to study the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis analysing the cortisol awakening response and diurnal baseline cortisol in 86 patients with mixed functional neurological symptoms compared to 76 healthy controls. We then examined the association between cortisol regulation and the severity and duration of traumatic life events. Finally, we analysed volumetric brain alterations in brain regions particularly sensitive to psychosocial stress, acting on the assumption of the neurotoxic effect of prolonged cortisol exposure. Overall, patients had a significantly flatter cortisol awakening response (P < 0.001) and reported longer (P = 0.01) and more severe (P < 0.001) emotional neglect as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, volumes of the bilateral amygdala and hippocampus were found to be reduced in patients. Using a partial least squares correlation, we found that in patients, emotional neglect plays a role in the multivariate pattern between trauma history and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction, while cortisol did not relate to reduced brain volumes. This suggests that psychological stress acts as a precipitating psychosocial risk factor, whereas a reduced brain volume rather represents a biological predisposing trait marker for the disorder. Contrarily, an inverse relationship between brain volume and cortisol was found in healthy controls, representing a potential neurotoxic effect of cortisol. These findings support the theory of reduced subcortical volumes representing a predisposing trait factor in functional neurological disorders, rather than a state effect of the illness. In summary, this study supports a stress-diathesis model for functional neurological disorders and showed an association between different attributes of trauma history and abnormalities in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Moreover, we suggest that reduced hippocampal and amygdalar volumes represent a biological 'trait marker' for functional neurological disorder patients, which might contribute to a reduced resilience to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Weber
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Janine Bühler
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Health Sciences (GHS), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Giorgio Vanini
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Serafeim Loukas
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Division of Development and Growth, Department of Pediatrics, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rupert Bruckmaier
- Veterinary Physiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Selma Aybek
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
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16
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Kozlowska K, Chudleigh C, Savage B, Hawkes C, Scher S, Nunn KP. Evidence-Based Mind-Body Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Functional Neurological Disorder. Harv Rev Psychiatry 2023; 31:60-82. [PMID: 36884038 PMCID: PMC9997641 DOI: 10.1097/hrp.0000000000000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Develop and implement treatment plans for children and adolescents with functional neurological disorder (FND)• Outline a plan to increase awareness and standardize the care for patients with FND using evidence-based interventions. ABSTRACT Functional neurological disorder (FND) in children and adolescents involves the biological embedding of lived experience in the body and brain. This embedding culminates in stress-system activation or dysregulation and in aberrant changes in neural network function. In pediatric neurology clinics, FND represents up to one-fifth of patients. Current research shows good outcomes with prompt diagnosis and treatment using a biopsychosocial, stepped-care approach. At present, however-and worldwide-FND services are scarce, the result of long-standing stigma and ingrained belief that patients with FND do not suffer from a real ("organic") disorder and that they therefore do not require, or even deserve, treatment. Since 1994, the Mind-Body Program for children and adolescents with FND at The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, Australia-run by a consultation-liaison team-has delivered inpatient care to hundreds of patients with FND and outpatient care to hundreds of others. For less-disabled patients, the program enables community-based clinicians to implement biopsychosocial interventions locally by providing a positive diagnosis (by a neurologist or pediatrician), a biopsychosocial assessment and formulation (by clinicians from the consultation-liaison team), a physical therapy assessment, and clinical support (from the consultation-liaison team and the physiotherapist). In this Perspective we describe the elements of a biopsychosocial mind-body program intervention capable of providing, as needed, effective treatment to children and adolescents with FND. Our aim is to communicate to clinicians and institutions around the world what is needed to establish effective community treatment programs, as well as hospital inpatient and outpatient interventions, in their own health care settings.
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17
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Lessons Learned in Outpatient Physical Therapy for Motor Functional Neurological Disorder. J Neurol Phys Ther 2023; 47:52-59. [PMID: 35980727 DOI: 10.1097/npt.0000000000000415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Motor functional neurological disorder is a prevalent and costly condition at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry that is diagnosed using positive "rule-in" signs. Physical therapy is a first-line treatment and consensus recommendations exist to guide clinical care. Nonetheless, optimal outpatient treatment of adults with functional motor symptoms requires an expanded physical therapy tool kit to effectively guide care. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS In this article, lessons learned from a physical therapist practicing in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary outpatient functional neurological disorder clinic are highlighted. In doing so, we discuss how use of the biopsychosocial model and neuroscience constructs can inform physical therapy interventions. The importance of team-based care and the delivery of physical therapy through video telehealth services are also outlined. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE Use of the biopsychosocial formulation to triage clinical challenges and guide longitudinal care, coupled with application of neuroscience to aid intervention selection, allows for patient-centered physical therapy treatment across the spectrum of functional motor symptoms.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A400 ).
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18
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Chung J, Mukerji S, Kozlowska K. Cortisol and α-amylase awakening response in children and adolescents with functional neurological (conversion) disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2023; 57:115-129. [PMID: 35297291 DOI: 10.1177/00048674221082520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Stress system dysregulation is considered to have an important role in the aetiology of paediatric functional neurological (conversion) disorder. This study examined salivary cortisol and α-amylase awakening responses in children with functional neurological disorder to determine activation patterns of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic system. A healthy cortisol awakening response involves a robust increase in cortisol within 30 minutes of awakening. Alpha-amylase awakening response is variable in children. METHODS Cortisol and α-amylase were measured in saliva from 32 patients with functional neurological disorder (26 girls and 6 boys, aged 11.3-16.1 years) and 31 healthy controls (23 girls and 8 boys, aged 8.6-17.7 years). Saliva samples were collected using a Salivette sampling device at two time points - upon awakening and 30 minutes after awakening. RESULTS Patients with functional neurological disorder showed a decrease in cortisol awakening response (-4 nmol.min/L) and controls showed an increase (107 nmol.min/L), t(55) = -.4.6, p < 0.001. Within the functional neurological disorder group, 57% showed an attenuated cortisol awakening response and 43% showed an obliterated/reversed cortisol awakening response: Cortisol awakening response was negatively correlated with adverse childhood experiences, r(58) = -0.6, p = 0.002, and subjective distress (total Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales score), r(58) = -0.4, p = 0.050. In controls, cortisol awakening response showed no correlation with adverse childhood experiences and a positive correlation with subjective distress, r(56) = 0.4, p = 0.023. Total cortisol remained similar between the functional neurological disorder and control group. No significant differences were observed between the functional neurological disorder and control group in any of the α-amylase analyses. DISCUSSION The results suggest dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in children with functional neurological disorder. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysregulation in children with functional neurological disorder may contribute to comorbid symptoms of fatigue, sleep disturbance and subjective loss of well-being because circadian rhythms and energy metabolism are disrupted. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysregulation - and changes in glucocorticoid (cortisol) signalling at the molecular level - may also contribute to increased vulnerability for functional neurological disorder symptoms because of epigenetically mediated changes to neural networks implicated in functional neurological disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Chung
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shohini Mukerji
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Department of Chemical Pathology, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Kasia Kozlowska
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Brain Dynamics Centre, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
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19
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Lim N, Wood N, Prasad A, Waters K, Singh-Grewal D, Dale RC, Elkadi J, Scher S, Kozlowska K. COVID-19 Vaccination in Young People with Functional Neurological Disorder: A Case-Control Study. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:2031. [PMID: 36560442 PMCID: PMC9782633 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10122031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of acute-onset functional neurological symptoms, the focus of this study, is one of three stress responses related to immunisation. This case-control study documents the experience of 61 young people with past or current functional neurological disorder (FND) in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination program in Australia. METHODS Information about the young person's/parent's choice and response pertaining to COVID-19 vaccination was collected as part of routine clinical care or FND research program follow-up. RESULTS 61 young people treated for FND (47 females, mean age = 16.22 years) and 46 healthy controls (34 females, mean age = 16.37 years) were included in the study. Vaccination rates were high: 58/61 (95.1%) in the FND group and 45/46 (97.8%) in the control group. In the FND group, 2 young people (2/61, 3.3%) presented with new-onset FND following COVID-19 vaccination; two young people with resolved FND reported an FND relapse (2/36, 5.56%); and two young people with unresolved FND (2/20, 10.0%) reported an FND exacerbation. In the control group no FND symptoms were reported. CONCLUSIONS Acute-onset FND symptoms following COVID-19 vaccination are uncommon in the general population. In young people prone to FND, COVID-19 vaccination can sometimes trigger new-onset FND, FND relapse, or FND exacerbation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Lim
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Nicholas Wood
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Archana Prasad
- Department of General Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Karen Waters
- Sleep Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead Clinical School, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Davinder Singh-Grewal
- Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- Department of Rheumatology, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- School of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
| | - Russell C. Dale
- Kids Neuroscience Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- The Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Joseph Elkadi
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Stephen Scher
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Speciality of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Kasia Kozlowska
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- Brain Dynamics Centre at Westmead Institute of Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
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20
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Kerr WT, Tatekawa H, Lee JK, Karimi AH, Sreenivasan SS, O'Neill J, Smith JM, Hickman LB, Savic I, Nasrullah N, Espinoza R, Narr K, Salamon N, Beimer NJ, Hadjiiski LM, Eliashiv DS, Stacey WC, Engel J, Feusner JD, Stern JM. Clinical MRI morphological analysis of functional seizures compared to seizure-naïve and psychiatric controls. Epilepsy Behav 2022; 134:108858. [PMID: 35933959 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Functional seizures (FS), also known as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), are physical manifestations of acute or chronic psychological distress. Functional and structural neuroimaging have identified objective signs of this disorder. We evaluated whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) morphometry differed between patients with FS and clinically relevant comparison populations. METHODS Quality-screened clinical-grade MRIs were acquired from 666 patients from 2006 to 2020. Morphometric features were quantified with FreeSurfer v6. Mixed-effects linear regression compared the volume, thickness, and surface area within 201 regions-of-interest for 90 patients with FS, compared to seizure-naïve patients with depression (n = 243), anxiety (n = 68), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD, n = 41), respectively, and to other seizure-naïve controls with similar quality MRIs, accounting for the influence of multiple confounds including depression and anxiety based on chart review. These comparison populations were obtained through review of clinical records plus research studies obtained on similar scanners. RESULTS After Bonferroni-Holm correction, patients with FS compared with seizure-naïve controls exhibited thinner bilateral superior temporal cortex (left 0.053 mm, p = 0.014; right 0.071 mm, p = 0.00006), thicker left lateral occipital cortex (0.052 mm, p = 0.0035), and greater left cerebellar white-matter volume (1085 mm3, p = 0.0065). These findings were not accounted for by lower MRI quality in patients with FS. CONCLUSIONS These results reinforce prior indications of structural neuroimaging correlates of FS and, in particular, distinguish brain morphology in FS from that in depression, anxiety, and OCD. Future work may entail comparisons with other psychiatric disorders including bipolar and schizophrenia, as well as exploration of brain structural heterogeneity within FS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley T Kerr
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Hiroyuki Tatekawa
- Department of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John K Lee
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amir H Karimi
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Siddhika S Sreenivasan
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph O'Neill
- Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jena M Smith
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - L Brian Hickman
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ivanka Savic
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute and Neurology Clinic, Karolinksa University Hospital, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nilab Nasrullah
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute and Neurology Clinic, Karolinksa University Hospital, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Randall Espinoza
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Narr
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Noriko Salamon
- Department of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas J Beimer
- Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lubomir M Hadjiiski
- Department of Radiology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Dawn S Eliashiv
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - William C Stacey
- Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jerome Engel
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jamie D Feusner
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John M Stern
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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21
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Weber S, Heim S, Richiardi J, Van De Ville D, Serranová T, Jech R, Marapin RS, Tijssen MAJ, Aybek S. Multi-centre classification of functional neurological disorders based on resting-state functional connectivity. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 35:103090. [PMID: 35752061 PMCID: PMC9240866 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Using machine learning on multi-centre data, FND patients were successfully classified with an accuracy of 72%. The angular- and supramarginal gyri, cingular- and insular cortex, and the hippocampus were the most discriminant regions. To provide diagnostic utility, future studies must include patients with similar symptoms but different diagnoses.
Background Patients suffering from functional neurological disorder (FND) experience disabling neurological symptoms not caused by an underlying classical neurological disease (such as stroke or multiple sclerosis). The diagnosis is made based on reliable positive clinical signs, but clinicians often require additional time- and cost consuming medical tests and examinations. Resting-state functional connectivity (RS FC) showed its potential as an imaging-based adjunctive biomarker to help distinguish patients from healthy controls and could represent a “rule-in” procedure to assist in the diagnostic process. However, the use of RS FC depends on its applicability in a multi-centre setting, which is particularly susceptible to inter-scanner variability. The aim of this study was to test the robustness of a classification approach based on RS FC in a multi-centre setting. Methods This study aimed to distinguish 86 FND patients from 86 healthy controls acquired in four different centres using a multivariate machine learning approach based on whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity. First, previously published results were replicated in each centre individually (intra-centre cross-validation) and its robustness across inter-scanner variability was assessed by pooling all the data (pooled cross-validation). Second, we evaluated the generalizability of the method by using data from each centre once as a test set, and the data from the remaining centres as a training set (inter-centre cross-validation). Results FND patients were successfully distinguished from healthy controls in the replication step (accuracy of 74%) as well as in each individual additional centre (accuracies of 73%, 71% and 70%). The pooled cross validation confirmed that the classifier was robust with an accuracy of 72%. The results survived post-hoc adjustment for anxiety, depression, psychotropic medication intake, and symptom severity. The most discriminant features involved the angular- and supramarginal gyri, sensorimotor cortex, cingular- and insular cortex, and hippocampal regions. The inter-centre validation step did not exceed chance level (accuracy below 50%). Conclusions The results demonstrate the applicability of RS FC to correctly distinguish FND patients from healthy controls in different centres and its robustness against inter-scanner variability. In order to generalize its use across different centres and aim for clinical application, future studies should work towards optimization of acquisition parameters and include neurological and psychiatric control groups presenting with similar symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Weber
- Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Salome Heim
- Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Richiardi
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tereza Serranová
- Centre for Interventional Therapy of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 1(st) Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Jech
- Centre for Interventional Therapy of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 1(st) Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Neurology, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ramesh S Marapin
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, the Netherlands; UMCG Expertise Center Movement Disorders Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marina A J Tijssen
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, the Netherlands; UMCG Expertise Center Movement Disorders Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Selma Aybek
- Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland.
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22
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Jungilligens J, Paredes-Echeverri S, Popkirov S, Barrett LF, Perez DL. A new science of emotion: implications for functional neurological disorder. Brain 2022; 145:2648-2663. [PMID: 35653495 PMCID: PMC9905015 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neurological disorder reflects impairments in brain networks leading to distressing motor, sensory and/or cognitive symptoms that demonstrate positive clinical signs on examination incongruent with other conditions. A central issue in historical and contemporary formulations of functional neurological disorder has been the mechanistic and aetiological role of emotions. However, the debate has mostly omitted fundamental questions about the nature of emotions in the first place. In this perspective article, we first outline a set of relevant working principles of the brain (e.g. allostasis, predictive processing, interoception and affect), followed by a focused review of the theory of constructed emotion to introduce a new understanding of what emotions are. Building on this theoretical framework, we formulate how altered emotion category construction can be an integral component of the pathophysiology of functional neurological disorder and related functional somatic symptoms. In doing so, we address several themes for the functional neurological disorder field including: (i) how energy regulation and the process of emotion category construction relate to symptom generation, including revisiting alexithymia, 'panic attack without panic', dissociation, insecure attachment and the influential role of life experiences; (ii) re-interpret select neurobiological research findings in functional neurological disorder cohorts through the lens of the theory of constructed emotion to illustrate its potential mechanistic relevance; and (iii) discuss therapeutic implications. While we continue to support that functional neurological disorder is mechanistically and aetiologically heterogenous, consideration of how the theory of constructed emotion relates to the generation and maintenance of functional neurological and functional somatic symptoms offers an integrated viewpoint that cuts across neurology, psychiatry, psychology and cognitive-affective neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Jungilligens
- Correspondence to: Johannes Jungilligens University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum Department of Neurology In der Schornau 23-25 44892 Bochum, Germany E-mail:
| | | | - Stoyan Popkirov
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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23
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Basaia S, Agosta F, Diez I, Bueichekú E, d'Oleire Uquillas F, Delgado-Alvarado M, Caballero-Gaudes C, Rodriguez-Oroz M, Stojkovic T, Kostic VS, Filippi M, Sepulcre J. Neurogenetic traits outline vulnerability to cortical disruption in Parkinson's disease. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 33:102941. [PMID: 35091253 PMCID: PMC8800137 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The genetic traits that underlie vulnerability to neuronal damage across specific brain circuits in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain to be elucidated. In this study, we characterized the brain topological intersection between propagating connectivity networks in controls and PD participants and gene expression patterns across the human cortex - such as the SNCA gene. We observed that brain connectivity originated from PD-related pathology epicenters in the brainstem recapitulated the anatomical distribution of alpha-synuclein histopathology in postmortem data. We also discovered that the gene set most related to cortical propagation patterns of PD-related pathology was primarily involved in microtubule cellular components. Thus, this study sheds light on new avenues for enhancing detection of PD neuronal vulnerability via an evaluation of in vivo connectivity trajectories across the human brain and successful integration of neuroimaging-genetic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Basaia
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Ibai Diez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elisenda Bueichekú
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Federico d'Oleire Uquillas
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Manuel Delgado-Alvarado
- Neurology Department, Sierrallana Hospital, Torrelavega, Spain; IDIVAL, Valdecilla Biomedical Research Institute, Santander, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - MariCruz Rodriguez-Oroz
- Neurology Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Neuroscience Unit, CIMA Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Tanja Stojkovic
- Clinic of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Vladimir S Kostic
- Clinic of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
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24
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Paredes-Echeverri S, Guthrie AJ, Perez DL. Toward a possible trauma subtype of functional neurological disorder: Impact on symptom severity and physical health. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1040911. [PMID: 36458126 PMCID: PMC9706184 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1040911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a group, individuals with functional neurological disorder (FND) report an approximately 3-fold increase in adverse life experiences (ALEs) compared to healthy controls. In patients with FND, studies have identified a positive correlation between symptom severity and the magnitude of ALEs. While not all individuals with FND report ALEs, such findings raise the possibility of a trauma-subtype of FND. OBJECTIVE This study investigated if patients with FND, with or without probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or significant childhood maltreatment, differed in their symptom severity and physical health. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-eight patients with FND were recruited (functional seizures, n = 34; functional movement disorder, n = 56). Participants completed self-report measures of symptom severity [Somatoform Dissociation Questionniare-20 (SDQ-20), Screening for Somatoform Disorders: Conversion Disorder subscale (SOMS:CD), Patient Health Questionniare-15 (PHQ-15)], physical health [Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF36-physical health)], childhood maltreatment [Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ)], and PTSD [PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5)]; a psychometric battery of other common predisposing vulnerabilities was also completed. To adjust for multiple comparisons, a Bonferroni correction was applied to all univariate analyses. RESULTS Patients with FND and probable PTSD (n = 33) vs. those without probable PTSD (n = 43) had statistically significant increased scores on all symptom severity measures - as well as decreased physical health scores. In secondary post-hoc regression analyses, these findings remained significant adjusting for age, sex, race, college education, and: pathological dissociation; alexithymia; attachment styles; personality characteristics; resilience scores; functional seizures subtype; or moderate-to-severe childhood abuse and neglect scores; SOMS:CD and SDQ-20 findings also held adjusting for depression and anxiety scores. In a separate set of analyses, patients with FND and moderate-to-severe childhood abuse (n = 46) vs. those without moderate-to-severe childhood abuse (n = 32) showed statistically significant increased SDQ-20 and PHQ-15 scores; in post-hoc regressions, these findings held adjusting for demographic and other variables. Stratification by childhood neglect did not relate to symptom severity or physical health scores. CONCLUSION This study provides support for a possible trauma-subtype of FND. Future research should investigate the neurobiological and treatment relevance of a FND trauma-subtype, as well as continuing to delineate clinical characteristics and mechanisms in individuals with FND that lack a history of ALEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Paredes-Echeverri
- Functional Neurological Disorder Research Group, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Andrew J Guthrie
- Functional Neurological Disorder Research Group, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - David L Perez
- Functional Neurological Disorder Research Group, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Cognitive Behavioral Neurology, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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25
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Altered resting-state neural networks in children and adolescents with functional neurological disorder. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2022; 35:103110. [PMID: 36002964 PMCID: PMC9421459 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
FND in children commonly involves presentation with multiple neurological symptoms. Children with FND show wide-ranging connectivity changes in resting-state neural networks. Aberrant neural-networks changes are greater in children whose FND includes functional seizures. Subjective distress, autonomic arousal, and HPA dysregulation contribute to network changes. Children with FND (vs controls) report more subjective distress and more ACEs across the lifespan.
Objectives Previous studies with adults suggest that aberrant communication between neural networks underpins functional neurological disorder (FND). The current study adopts a data-driven approach to investigate the extent that functional resting-state networks are disrupted in a pediatric mixed-FND cohort. Methods 31 children with mixed FND and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls completed resting-state fMRI scans. Whole-brain independent component analysis (pFWE < 0.05) was then used to identify group differences in resting-state connectivity. Self-report measures included the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Early Life Stress Questionnaire (ELSQ). Resting-state heart rate (HR) and cortisol-awakening response (CAR) were available in a subset. Results Children with FND showed wide-ranging connectivity changes in eight independent components corresponding to eight resting-state neural networks: language networks (IC6 and IC1), visual network, frontoparietal network, salience network, dorsal attention network, cerebellar network, and sensorimotor network. Children whose clinical presentation included functional seizures (vs children with other FND symptoms) showed greater connectivity decreases in the frontoparietal and dorsal attentional networks. Subjective distress (total DASS score), autonomic arousal (indexed by HR), and HPA dysregulation (attenuated/reversed CAR) contributed to changes in neural network connectivity. Children with FND (vs controls) reported more subjective distress (total DASS score) and more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) across their lifespan. Conclusions Children with FND demonstrate changes in resting-state connectivity. Identified network alterations underpin a broad range of functions typically disrupted in children with FND. This study complements the adult literature by suggesting that FND in children and adolescents emerges in the context of their lived experience and that it reflects aberrant communication across neural networks.
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Identifying and evaluating novel treatment targets for the development of evidence-based interventions for functional neurological disorder. Epilepsy Behav Rep 2021; 16:100479. [PMID: 34568805 PMCID: PMC8449163 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebr.2021.100479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Historically, functional neurological disorder (FND) has been described in psychodynamic terms as the physical manifestation of psychological distress. It is often explained to patients and caregivers as the result of anxiety, stress, trauma or other psychiatric comorbidities. However, recent evidence indicates that targeting mood and stress is not equivalent to the treatment of FND and may have limited to no effect on FND symptoms. Given the few randomized controlled trials for FND treatments and the limited evidence of mood and stress as effective treatment targets, the identification and evaluation of novel treatment targets or mediators is an area of great opportunity and should be the focus of future research. Identifying and targeting modifiable disease mechanisms directly as opposed to only treating psychiatric comorbidities may result in greater efficacy in treating FND symptoms, better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Several novel mechanisms have been identified that warrant additional investigation as potential treatment targets including abnormal attentional focus on the affected area, beliefs and expectations about illness, impairments in habituation, and decreased sense of control over actions. Future intervention studies should take a mechanism-based approach and utilize valid and reliable measures or specific biomarkers to determine whether improvements in FND symptoms are associated with changes in the treatment targets. This transdiagnostic approach will allow researchers to translate the novel mechanistic outcomes emerging from neurophysiological and neuroscience studies into new or improved evidence-based approaches to FND treatment and prevention.
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Feinstein A, Voon V. Understanding conversion disorder: How contemporary brain imaging is shedding light on an early Freudian concept. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 141:353-357. [PMID: 34304040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Conversion disorder, also called Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder is poorly understood by many in the medical profession and is associated with considerable health care costs. Sigmund Freud, in an early, pre-psychoanalytic period paper, suggested that hysterical motor paralyses arose from a "functional or dynamic lesion" which was no different from an organic one, but rather an altered expression of it. He linked this functional brain disturbance to an excess of affect, a faulty conceptualization on the part of the symptomatic individual of how the affected organ works, and elements of dissociation and dual consciousness. One hundred and thirty years later converging functional imaging studies provide support for the excess affect component of his hypothesis. A small but growing fMRI literature has revealed bottom-up hyperactive neural activity in limbic regions and a potential failure of top-down regulation from prefrontal regions. Aberrant functional connectivity of limbic-motor regions now provides a mechanistic model that sheds light on an early Freudian theory explaining, in part, how symptoms of Conversion Disorder arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Feinstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Valerie Voon
- University of Cambridge. Addenbrookes Hospital, Level E4, Box 189, Cambridge, CB20QQ, United Kingdom.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The prevalence of new public datasets of brain-wide and single-cell transcriptome data has created new opportunities to link neuroimaging findings with genetic data. The aim of this study is to present the different methodological approaches that have been used to combine this data. RECENT FINDINGS Drawing from various sources of open access data, several studies have been able to correlate neuroimaging maps with spatial distribution of brain expression. These efforts have enabled researchers to identify functional annotations of related genes, identify specific cell types related to brain phenotypes, study the expression of genes across life span and highlight the importance of selected brain genes in disease genetic networks. SUMMARY New transcriptome datasets and methodological approaches complement current neuroimaging work and will be crucial to improve our understanding of the biological mechanism that underlies many neurological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibai Diez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA
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Connectivity adaptations in dopaminergic systems define the brain maturity of investors. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11671. [PMID: 34083626 PMCID: PMC8175592 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91227-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Investment decisions rely on perceptions from external stimuli along with the integration of inner brain-body signals, all of which are shaped by experience. As experience is capable of molding both the structure and function of the human brain, we have used a novel neuroimaging connectomic-genetic approach to investigate the influence of investment work experience on brain anatomy. We found that senior investors display higher gray matter volume and increased structural brain connectivity in dopamine-related pathways, as well as a set of genes functionally associated with adrenaline and noradrenaline biosynthesis (SLC6A3, TH and SLC18A2), which is seemingly involved in reward processing and bodily stress responses during financial trading. These results suggest the key role of catecholamines in the way senior investors harness their emotions while raising bodily awareness as they grow in investment maturity.
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Jimenez-Marin A, Diez I, Labayru G, Sistiaga A, Caballero MC, Andres-Benito P, Sepulcre J, Ferrer I, Lopez de Munain A, Cortes JM. Transcriptional signatures of synaptic vesicle genes define myotonic dystrophy type I neurodegeneration. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2021; 47:1092-1108. [PMID: 33955002 PMCID: PMC9292638 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Aim To delineate the neurogenetic profiles of brain degeneration patterns in myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1). Methods In two cohorts of DM1 patients, brain maps of volume loss (VL) and neuropsychological deficits (NDs) were intersected to large‐scale transcriptome maps provided by the Allen Human Brain Atlas (AHBA). For validation, neuropathological and RNA analyses were performed in a small series of DM1 brain samples. Results Twofold: (1) From a list of preselected hypothesis‐driven genes, confirmatory analyses found that three genes play a major role in brain degeneration: dystrophin (DMD), alpha‐synuclein (SNCA) and the microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT). Neuropathological analyses confirmed a highly heterogeneous Tau‐pathology in DM1, different to the one in Alzheimer's disease. (2) Exploratory analyses revealed gene clusters enriched for key biological processes in the central nervous system, such as synaptic vesicle recycling, localization, endocytosis and exocytosis, and the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter pathways. RNA analyses confirmed synaptic vesicle dysfunction. Conclusions The combination of large‐scale transcriptome interactions with brain imaging and cognitive function sheds light on the neurobiological mechanisms of brain degeneration in DM1 that might help define future therapeutic strategies and research into this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Jimenez-Marin
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.,Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Ibai Diez
- Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Garazi Labayru
- Neuroscience Area, Biodonostia Research Institute, San Sebastián, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment Department; Psychology Faculty, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Andone Sistiaga
- Neuroscience Area, Biodonostia Research Institute, San Sebastián, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment Department; Psychology Faculty, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
| | | | - Pol Andres-Benito
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IBIDELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isidro Ferrer
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IBIDELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Adolfo Lopez de Munain
- Neuroscience Area, Biodonostia Research Institute, San Sebastián, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Neurology Department, Donostia University Hospital, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.,Neurosciences Department, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jesus M Cortes
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.,Cell Biology and Histology Department, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE, The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
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31
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Spagnolo PA, Garvey M, Hallett M. A dimensional approach to functional movement disorders: Heresy or opportunity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:25-36. [PMID: 33848511 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Functional movement disorders (FMD) are a common and disabling neuropsychiatric condition, part of the spectrum of functional neurological/conversion disorder. FMD represent one of the most enigmatic disorders in the history of medicine. However, in the twenty years after the first report of distinctive abnormal brain activity associated with functional motor symptoms, there have been tremendous advances in the pathophysiologic understanding of these disorders. FMD can be characterized as a disorder of aberrant neurocircuitry interacting with environmental and genetic factors. These developments suggest that research on FMD could be better served by an integrative, neuroscience-based approach focused on functional domains and their neurobiological substrates. This approach has been developed in 'Research Domain Criteria' (RDoC) project, which promotes a dimensional approach to psychiatric disorders. Here, we use the RDoC conceptualization to review recent neuroscience research on FMD, focusing on the domains most relevant to these disorders. We discuss how the adoption of a similar integrative framework may facilitate the identification of the mechanisms underlying FMD and could also have potential clinical applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Primavera A Spagnolo
- Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Marjorie Garvey
- Novel Strategies for Treatment of Developmental Psychopathology Program, Biomarker and Intervention Development for Childhood-Onset Mental Disorders Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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32
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Saxena A, Perez DL. A transdiagnostic and biopsychosocial-informed perspective across functional seizures and functional movement disorder. Epilepsy Behav 2021; 117:107749. [PMID: 33509632 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aneeta Saxena
- Division of Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Functional Neurological Disorder Clinical and Research Program, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - David L Perez
- Functional Neurological Disorder Clinical and Research Program, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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33
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Asadi-Pooya AA, Brigo F, Kozlowska K, Perez DL, Pretorius C, Sawchuk T, Saxena A, Tolchin B, Valente KD. Social aspects of life in patients with functional seizures: Closing the gap in the biopsychosocial formulation. Epilepsy Behav 2021; 117:107903. [PMID: 33740497 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.107903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The human, as a biological system, is an open system embedded within larger systems -including the family, culture, and socio-political environment. In this context, a patient with functional seizures (FS) is embedded in relationships, educational/professional institutions, culture, and society. Both connection to these broader systems and the quality of these connections, as well as the soundness of each system in and of itself, influence the health and well-being of patients in positive or negative ways. The social aspects of life are important determinants of health and quality of life across the lifespan. The current narrative review brings out several overarching themes in patients with FS. Sections on attachment, marriage, social networking, and stigma highlight the central roles of supportive and affirmative relationships across the lifespan. The section on education underscores the importance of keeping children and youth with FS connected within their school environments, as well as managing any barriers - learning difficulties, school response to FS events, stigma, etc.-that can diminish this connection. Finally, the sections on employment and driving highlight the value of being an active participant in one's society. In summary, FS impacts patients across most social aspects of life domains regardless of age - factors that are important when developing biopsychosocial formulations. This review concludes that the multidisciplinary management of FS requires careful assessment of social aspects of life in patients which can then be targeted for treatment, to improve their quality of life, facilitating recovery, and reducing the risk of relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali A Asadi-Pooya
- Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy
| | - Kasia Kozlowska
- The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - David L Perez
- Functional Neurological Disorder Clinical and Research Programs, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Chrisma Pretorius
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
| | - Tyson Sawchuk
- Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Aneeta Saxena
- Epilepsy Division, Department of Neurology, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Functional Neurological Disorder Clinical and Research Program, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Benjamin Tolchin
- Yale Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Kette D Valente
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
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34
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Sojka P, Paredes-Echeverri S, Perez DL. Are Functional (Psychogenic Nonepileptic) Seizures the Sole Expression of Psychological Processes? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 55:329-351. [PMID: 33768494 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Functional [psychogenic nonepileptic/dissociative] seizures (FND-seiz) and related functional neurological disorder subtypes were of immense interest to early founders of modern-day neurology and psychiatry. Unfortunately, the divide that occurred between the both specialties throughout the mid-twentieth century placed FND-seiz at the borderland between the two disciplines. In the process, a false Cartesian dualism emerged that labeled psychiatric conditions as impairments of the mind and neurological conditions as disturbances in structural neuroanatomy. Excitingly, modern-day neuropsychiatric perspectives now consider neurologic and psychiatric conditions as disorders of both brain and mind. In this article, we aim to integrate neurologic and psychiatric perspectives in the conceptual framing of FND-seiz. In doing so, we explore emerging relationships between symptoms, neuropsychological constructs, brain networks, and neuroendocrine/autonomic biomarkers of disease. Evidence suggests that the neuropsychological constructs of emotion processing, attention, interoception, and self-agency are important in the pathophysiology of FND-seiz. Furthermore, FND-seiz is a multi-network brain disorder, with evidence supporting roles for disturbances within and across the salience, limbic, attentional, multimodal integration, and sensorimotor networks. Risk factors, including the magnitude of previously experienced adverse life events, relate to individual differences in network architecture and neuroendocrine profiles. The time has come to use an integrated neuropsychiatric approach that embraces the closely intertwined relationship between physical health and mental health to conceptualize FND-seiz and related functional neurological disorder subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Sojka
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Sara Paredes-Echeverri
- Functional Neurological Disorder Research Program, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Divisions, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David L Perez
- Functional Neurological Disorder Research Program, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Divisions, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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35
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Perez DL, Edwards MJ, Nielsen G, Kozlowska K, Hallett M, LaFrance WC. Decade of progress in motor functional neurological disorder: continuing the momentum. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2021; 92:jnnp-2020-323953. [PMID: 33722822 PMCID: PMC8440656 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-323953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a prevalent, disabling and costly condition at the neurology-psychiatry intersection. After being marginalised in the late 20th century, there has been renewed interest in this field. In this article, we review advances that have occurred over the past decade (2011-2020) across diagnosis, mechanisms, aetiologies, treatments and stigma in patients with motor FND (mFND, that is, functional movement disorder and functional limb weakness). In each content area, we also discuss the implications of recent advances and suggest future directions that will help continue the momentum of the past decade. In diagnosis, a major advance has been the emphasis on rule-in physical signs that are specific for hyperkinetic and hypokinetic functional motor symptoms. Mechanistically, greater importance has been given to determining 'how' functional neurological symptoms develop, highlighting roles for misdirected attention, expectation and self-agency, as well as abnormal influences of emotion/threat processing brain areas on motor control circuits. Aetiologically, while roles for adverse life experiences remain of interest in mFND, there is recognition of other aetiologic contributors, and efforts are needed to investigate links between aetiological factors and mechanisms. This decade has seen the first randomised controlled trials for physiotherapy, multidisciplinary rehabilitation and psychotherapy performed in the field, with consensus recommendations for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and outcome measures also published. Across patients, clinicians, healthcare systems and society, stigma remains a major concern. While challenges persist, a patient-centred integrated clinical neuroscience approach is primed to carry forward the momentum of the past decade into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Perez
- Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark J Edwards
- Neuroscience Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, UK
| | - Glenn Nielsen
- Neuroscience Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, UK
| | - Kasia Kozlowska
- Westmead Institute of Medical Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Medical School, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - W Curt LaFrance
- Psychiatry and Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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36
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Perez DL, Nicholson TR, Asadi-Pooya AA, Bègue I, Butler M, Carson AJ, David AS, Deeley Q, Diez I, Edwards MJ, Espay AJ, Gelauff JM, Hallett M, Horovitz SG, Jungilligens J, Kanaan RAA, Tijssen MAJ, Kozlowska K, LaFaver K, LaFrance WC, Lidstone SC, Marapin RS, Maurer CW, Modirrousta M, Reinders AATS, Sojka P, Staab JP, Stone J, Szaflarski JP, Aybek S. Neuroimaging in Functional Neurological Disorder: State of the Field and Research Agenda. Neuroimage Clin 2021; 30:102623. [PMID: 34215138 PMCID: PMC8111317 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Functional neurological disorder (FND) was of great interest to early clinical neuroscience leaders. During the 20th century, neurology and psychiatry grew apart - leaving FND a borderland condition. Fortunately, a renaissance has occurred in the last two decades, fostered by increased recognition that FND is prevalent and diagnosed using "rule-in" examination signs. The parallel use of scientific tools to bridge brain structure - function relationships has helped refine an integrated biopsychosocial framework through which to conceptualize FND. In particular, a growing number of quality neuroimaging studies using a variety of methodologies have shed light on the emerging pathophysiology of FND. This renewed scientific interest has occurred in parallel with enhanced interdisciplinary collaborations, as illustrated by new care models combining psychological and physical therapies and the creation of a new multidisciplinary FND society supporting knowledge dissemination in the field. Within this context, this article summarizes the output of the first International FND Neuroimaging Workgroup meeting, held virtually, on June 17th, 2020 to appraise the state of neuroimaging research in the field and to catalyze large-scale collaborations. We first briefly summarize neural circuit models of FND, and then detail the research approaches used to date in FND within core content areas: cohort characterization; control group considerations; task-based functional neuroimaging; resting-state networks; structural neuroimaging; biomarkers of symptom severity and risk of illness; and predictors of treatment response and prognosis. Lastly, we outline a neuroimaging-focused research agenda to elucidate the pathophysiology of FND and aid the development of novel biologically and psychologically-informed treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Perez
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Timothy R Nicholson
- Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ali A Asadi-Pooya
- Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz Iran; Department of Neurology, Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Indrit Bègue
- Division of Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva Switzerland; Service of Neurology Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Matthew Butler
- Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alan J Carson
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Anthony S David
- Institute of Mental Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Quinton Deeley
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London UK Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ibai Diez
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark J Edwards
- Neurosciences Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, UK
| | - Alberto J Espay
- James J. and Joan A. Gardner Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jeannette M Gelauff
- Department of Neurology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Silvina G Horovitz
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Johannes Jungilligens
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Richard A A Kanaan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Austin Health Heidelberg, Australia
| | - Marina A J Tijssen
- Expertise Center Movement Disorders Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kasia Kozlowska
- The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kathrin LaFaver
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - W Curt LaFrance
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sarah C Lidstone
- Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease and the Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic, University Health Network and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ramesh S Marapin
- Expertise Center Movement Disorders Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Carine W Maurer
- Department of Neurology, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Mandana Modirrousta
- Department of Psychiatry, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Antje A T S Reinders
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Petr Sojka
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jeffrey P Staab
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jon Stone
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Jerzy P Szaflarski
- University of Alabama at Birmingham Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Selma Aybek
- Neurology Department, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Bern University Hospital Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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37
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Liang F, Xu Q, Jiang M, Feng R, Jiang S, Yuan B, Xu S, Wu T, Wang F, Huang JH. Emotion Induced Monoamine Neuromodulator Release Affects Functional Neurological Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:633048. [PMID: 33659255 PMCID: PMC7917220 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.633048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neurologic disorders (FNDs), also called conversion disorder (previously called hysteria), can show almost all the symptoms of other neurological diseases, including both physical (for example, seizure, weakness, fatigue) and psychological (for instance, depression, anxiety) symptoms. In spite of our general knowledge about emotional processes and developmental defects in the formation of these somatic symptoms, there is still no systemic and comprehensive research on the effects of emotional developmental variables in FND. Recently, both experimental and theoretical emotion studies have been greatly increased, such as prediction error, conceptual act model, basic emotional theory, and monoamine neuromodulator based three primary emotions. In addition, a large amount of evidence has confirmed the role of psychosocial adversity (such as stressful life events, interpersonal difficulties) as an important risk factor for FND. Here, we review recent advances about emotional stress on FND, and pay special attention to the effects of monoamine neuromodulators, such as how norepinephrine and serotonin affect behaviors. Then, we discuss the significance of these changes for FND, which may contribute to clarifying the pathogenesis of FND, and thus provide potential therapeutic drug targets or psychological intervention methods in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Liang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiuyue Xu
- School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingchen Jiang
- School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pediatric Respiratory Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Rou Feng
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shan Jiang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bin Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pediatric Respiratory Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Shijun Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Wu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fushun Wang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jason H Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, TX, United States.,Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Temple, TX, United States
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38
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Buch AM, Liston C. Dissecting diagnostic heterogeneity in depression by integrating neuroimaging and genetics. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:156-175. [PMID: 32781460 PMCID: PMC7688954 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00789-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Depression is a heterogeneous and etiologically complex psychiatric syndrome, not a unitary disease entity, encompassing a broad spectrum of psychopathology arising from distinct pathophysiological mechanisms. Motivated by a need to advance our understanding of these mechanisms and develop new treatment strategies, there is a renewed interest in investigating the neurobiological basis of heterogeneity in depression and rethinking our approach to diagnosis for research purposes. Large-scale genome-wide association studies have now identified multiple genetic risk variants implicating excitatory neurotransmission and synapse function and underscoring a highly polygenic inheritance pattern that may be another important contributor to heterogeneity in depression. Here, we review various sources of phenotypic heterogeneity and approaches to defining and studying depression subtypes, including symptom-based subtypes and biology-based approaches to decomposing the depression syndrome. We review "dimensional," "categorical," and "hybrid" approaches to parsing phenotypic heterogeneity in depression and defining subtypes using functional neuroimaging. Next, we review recent progress in neuroimaging genetics (correlating neuroimaging patterns of brain function with genetic data) and its potential utility for generating testable hypotheses concerning molecular and circuit-level mechanisms. We discuss how genetic variants and transcriptomic profiles may confer risk for depression by modulating brain structure and function. We conclude by highlighting several promising areas for future research into the neurobiological underpinnings of heterogeneity, including efforts to understand sexually dimorphic mechanisms, the longitudinal dynamics of depressive episodes, and strategies for developing personalized treatments and facilitating clinical decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Buch
- Department of Psychiatry and Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, 413 East 69th Street, Box 240, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Conor Liston
- Department of Psychiatry and Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, 413 East 69th Street, Box 240, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
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39
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Sojka P, Diez I, Bareš M, Perez DL. Individual differences in interoceptive accuracy and prediction error in motor functional neurological disorders: A DTI study. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:1434-1445. [PMID: 33615622 PMCID: PMC7927304 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In motor functional neurological disorders (mFND), relationships between interoception (a construct of high theoretical relevance to its pathophysiology) and neuroanatomy have not been previously investigated. This study characterized white matter in mFND patients compared to healthy controls (HCs), and investigated associations between fiber bundle integrity and cardiac interoception. Voxel‐based analysis and tractography quantified fractional anisotropy (FA) in 38 mFND patients compared to 38 HCs. Secondary analyses compared functional seizures (FND‐seiz; n = 21) or functional movement disorders (n = 17) to HCs. Network lesion mapping identified gray matter origins of implicated fiber bundles. Within‐group mFND analyses investigated relationships between FA, heartbeat tracking accuracy and interoceptive trait prediction error (discrepancies between interoceptive accuracy and self‐reported bodily awareness). Results were corrected for multiple comparisons, and all findings were adjusted for depression and trait anxiety. mFND and HCs did not show any between‐group interoceptive accuracy or FA differences. However, the FND‐seiz subgroup compared to HCs showed decreased integrity in right‐lateralized tracts: extreme capsule/inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and thalamic/striatum to occipital cortex projections. These alterations originated predominantly from the right temporoparietal junction and inferior temporal gyrus. In mFND patients, individual differences in interoceptive accuracy and interoceptive trait prediction error correlated with fiber bundle integrity originating from the insula, temporoparietal junction, putamen and thalamus among other regions. In this first study investigating brain‐interoception relationships in mFND, individual differences in interoceptive accuracy and trait prediction error mapped onto multimodal integration‐related fiber bundles. Right‐lateralized limbic and associative tract disruptions distinguished FND‐seiz from HCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Sojka
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno and University Hospital, Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Psychology and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ibai Diez
- Department of Neurology, Functional Neurological Disorder Research Program, Behavioral Neurology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Gordon Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Martin Bareš
- First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - David L Perez
- Department of Neurology, Functional Neurological Disorder Research Program, Behavioral Neurology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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40
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Jungilligens J, Wellmer J, Kowoll A, Schlegel U, Axmacher N, Popkirov S. Microstructural integrity of affective neurocircuitry in patients with dissociative seizures is associated with emotional task performance, illness severity and trauma history. Seizure 2020; 84:91-98. [PMID: 33307466 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2020.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To identify variations in white matter tract integrity related to behavioural control in response to emotional stimuli in patients with dissociative seizures (DS) and healthy controls (HC), and examine associations with illness characteristics and psychological trauma history. METHODS Twenty DS patients and 20 HC completed an emotional go/no-go task and questionnaires, and then underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). RESULTS Patients had higher false alarm rates in response to negative emotional stimuli than HC. Task performance was correlated with self-reported difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation in everyday life. White matter analysis using tract-based spatial statistics revealed no between-group differences. In patients, fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right uncinate fasciculus, right and left fornix/stria terminalis, and corpus callosum were correlated with task performance. Similar results were found for radial diffusivity (RD), but not mean (MD) or axial diffusivity (AD). In HC, task performance was associated with AD and RD of fewer and smaller clusters in the corpus callosum and right fornix/stria terminalis, and none for FA or MD. Probabilistic tractography of thus identified tracts revealed that mean FA values were correlated with illness parameters (right fornix/stria terminalis with age at onset; posterior corpus callosum with seizure frequency), and psychological trauma history (traumatic experiences during adolescence with anterior corpus callosum). CONCLUSIONS Patients with DS show impaired behavioural control in response to emotional stimuli. Microstructural variations in task-related neurocircuitry show associations with illness parameters and psychological trauma history. Future studies using psychiatric controls should examine the specificity of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Jungilligens
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Jörg Wellmer
- Ruhr-Epileptology, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Annika Kowoll
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Uwe Schlegel
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Nikolai Axmacher
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stoyan Popkirov
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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41
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Pun P, Frater J, Broughton M, Dob R, Lehn A. Psychological Profiles and Clinical Clusters of Patients Diagnosed With Functional Neurological Disorder. Front Neurol 2020; 11:580267. [PMID: 33178122 PMCID: PMC7593396 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.580267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding about underlying mechanisms leading to Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) has changed in recent years. While in the past these disorders were presumed to be solely due to psychological issues we know now that their development is dependent on complex interactions between biological, psychological and social factors. We present an analysis of clinical presentations and psychological profiles of patients who were seen in our FND outpatient clinic over 3 years. We aim to review the prevalence of common symptoms in the patients seen within our clinic, and to identify any common psychological or psychiatric profiles that differentiated these symptom groups. This may help to elucidate underlying mechanisms leading to the development of functional symptoms and identify the predisposing, triggering and perpetuation factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Pun
- Emotional Health Unit, Mater Misericordiae Health Services Brisbane Ltd, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Julanne Frater
- Emotional Health Unit, Mater Misericordiae Health Services Brisbane Ltd, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Megan Broughton
- Brisbane Clinical Neuroscience Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Rian Dob
- Map and Mind Psychology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Alexander Lehn
- Department of Neurology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia.,The University of Queensland Princess Alexandra Hospital Clinical School, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
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42
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Drane DL, Fani N, Hallett M, Khalsa SS, Perez DL, Roberts NA. A framework for understanding the pathophysiology of functional neurological disorder. CNS Spectr 2020; 26:1-7. [PMID: 32883381 PMCID: PMC7930164 DOI: 10.1017/s1092852920001789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The symptoms of functional neurological disorder (FND) are a product of its pathophysiology. The pathophysiology of FND is reflective of dysfunction within and across different brain circuits that, in turn, affects specific constructs. In this perspective article, we briefly review five constructs that are affected in FND: emotion processing (including salience), agency, attention, interoception, and predictive processing/inference. Examples of underlying neural circuits include salience, multimodal integration, and attention networks. The symptoms of each patient can be described as a combination of dysfunction in several of these networks and related processes. While we have gained a considerable understanding of FND, there is more work to be done, including determining how pathophysiological abnormalities arise as a consequence of etiologic biopsychosocial factors. To facilitate advances in this underserved and important area, we propose a pathophysiology-focused research agenda to engage government-sponsored funding agencies and foundations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Drane
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mark Hallett
- Human Motor Control Section, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sahib S. Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA; Oxley College of Health Sciences, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - David L. Perez
- Cognitive Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Units, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicole A. Roberts
- School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
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43
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Radmanesh M, Jalili M, Kozlowska K. Activation of Functional Brain Networks in Children With Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:339. [PMID: 33192376 PMCID: PMC7477327 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) have been hypothesized to emerge in the context of neural networks instability. To explore this hypothesis in children, we applied a graph theory approach to examine connectivity in neural networks in the resting-state EEG in 35 children with PNES, 31 children with other functional neurological symptoms (but no PNES), and 75 healthy controls. Methods The networks were extracted from Laplacian-transformed time series by a coherence connectivity estimation method. Results Children with PNES (vs. controls) showed widespread changes in network metrics: increased global efficiency (gamma and beta bands), increased local efficiency (gamma band), and increased modularity (gamma and alpha bands). Compared to controls, they also had higher levels of autonomic arousal (e.g., lower heart variability); more anxiety, depression, and stress on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales; and more adverse childhood experiences on the Early Life Stress Questionnaire. Increases in network metrics correlated with arousal. Children with other functional neurological symptoms (but no PNES) showed scattered and less pronounced changes in network metrics. Conclusion The results indicate that children with PNES present with increased activation of neural networks coupled with increased physiological arousal. While this shift in functional organization may confer a short-term adaptive advantage-one that facilitates neural communication and the child's capacity to respond self-protectively in the face of stressful life events-it may also have a significant biological cost. It may predispose the child's neural networks to periods of instability-presenting clinically as PNES-when the neural networks are faced with perturbations in energy flow or with additional demands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahdi Jalili
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kasia Kozlowska
- Department of Psychological Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Chandan JS, Keerthy D, Zemedikun DT, Okoth K, Gokhale KM, Raza K, Bandyopadhyay S, Taylor J, Nirantharakumar K. The association between exposure to childhood maltreatment and the subsequent development of functional somatic and visceral pain syndromes. EClinicalMedicine 2020; 23:100392. [PMID: 32637892 PMCID: PMC7329705 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood maltreatment is a global public health issue linked to a vast mortality and morbidity burden. This study builds on current literature to explore the risk of developing central sensitivity syndromes (CSS) (consisting of somatic and visceral pain syndromes) subsequent to childhood maltreatment exposure. METHODS A retrospective population based open cohort study using the UK primary care database, 'The Health Improvement Network,' between 1st January 1995-31st December 2018. 80,657 adult patients who had experienced childhood maltreatment or maltreatment related concerns (exposed patients) were matched to 161,314 unexposed patients by age and sex. Outcomes of interest were the development of CSS: either somatic (Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, temporomandibular joint disorder, chronic lower back pain, chronic headache, myofascial pain syndrome and restless leg syndrome) or visceral (Interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis and irritable bowel syndrome) in nature. Effect sizes are presented as adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) with confidence intervals (CI). Models were adjusted for the following covariates at cohort entry: age, sex, deprivation, anxiety, depression and serious mental ill health. RESULTS The average age at cohort entry was 23.4 years and the median follow was 2.2 years. There was an increased risk of developing fibromyalgia (aIRR 2.06; 95% CI 1.71-2.48), chronic fatigue syndrome (1.47; 1.08-2.00), chronic lower back pain (1.99; 1.68-2.35), restless leg syndrome (1.82; 1.41-2.35) and irritable bowel syndrome (1.15; 1.08-1.22) when compared to the unexposed group, whereas no statistical association was seen with the development of temporomandibular joint disorder (1.00; 0.88-1.13), chronic headache (1.04; 0.59-1.86), interstitial cystitis (1.19; 0.51-2.74), vulvodynia (0.65; 0.34-1.26), chronic prostatitis (0.34; 0.07-1.77) and myofascial pain syndrome (0.88; 0.36-2.14). Outcome numbers were low, most likely, due to the rarity of visceral conditions (aside from irritable bowel syndrome). The association between a history of childhood maltreatment and CSS were mainly observed in somatic CSS. INTERPRETATION The debilitating effects of CSS carry a substantial physical, psychological and economic burden to both the individuals who are diagnosed with them and the health services who serve them. Primary prevention approaches targeting childhood maltreatment as well as secondary preventative approaches should be considered to minimise the associated burden of CSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joht Singh Chandan
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV47HL, United Kingdom
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Deepiksana Keerthy
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Dawit Tefra Zemedikun
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Kelvin Okoth
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Krishna Margadhamane Gokhale
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Karim Raza
- Arthritis Research, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay
- Centre of Crime, Justice and Policing, The Department of Economics, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
| | - Julie Taylor
- Child Protection, School of Nursing, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, United Kingdom
- Midlands Health Data Research UK, University of Birmingham B152TT, United Kingdom
- Corresponding author at: Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT
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