AccScience Publishing / JCBP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/jcbp.4369
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Functional neurological movement disorders: Neuroimaging findings and methods of treatment

Peter Arlien-Søborg1 ,  Hans-Henrik Olsen1 ,  Josefin Agergaard2 ,  Jørgen Borup Hansen3 ,  Bent Rosenbaum3,4*
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1 Department of Neurology, State University Hospital, Denmark
2 State University Hospital, Clinic for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Denmark
3 Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
4 Psychiatric Center Copenhagen & Institute of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
JCBP, 4369 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.4369
Submitted: 29 July 2024 | Revised: 19 November 2024 | Accepted: 2 December 2024 | Published: 18 December 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Results of neuroimaging can provide information concerning the cause of functional motor disorders. In this paper, we review the most important of these neuroimaging investigations indicating changes in activation patterns in several brain regions relevant to motor control. A new combined treatment approach has demonstrated more promising results than previous attempts where either psychological or physiotherapeutic interventions have been used. When physiotherapy focusing on relearning appropriate movement patterns is combined with psychodynamic psychotherapy, including personally adapted psychoeducation, the results are convincing and most often long-lasting. Few cases with relapse show remission after undergoing only a few additional sessions of this new treatment modality. Three cases presented in this paper illustrate such courses post-treatment, lending credence to the potential existence of a dialectic interaction between mind and brain processes. The cases underline the importance of a therapeutic alliance and the ability of the therapist to let painful emotional material emerge and be understood, all based on confidence between the patient and the treating team.

Keywords
Conversion disorders
Functional motor dysfunctions
Emotions
Neuroimaging
Treatment
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics, Electronic ISSN: 2972-4414 Print ISSN: 3060-8562, Published by AccScience Publishing
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