Journal article

Neural Correlates of Recall of Life Events in Conversion Disorder

Selma Aybek, Timothy R Nicholson, Fernando Zelaya, Owen G O'Daly, Tom J Craig, Anthony S David, Richard A Kanaan

JAMA PSYCHIATRY | AMER MEDICAL ASSOC | Published : 2014

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Freud argued that in conversion disorder (CD) the affect attached to stressful memories is "repressed" and "converted" into physical symptoms, although this has never been subject to scientific study to our knowledge. OBJECTIVE: To examine the neural correlates of recall of life events judged to be of causal significance in CD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Case-control study. Academic research setting among 12 patients with motor CD and 13 healthy control subjects. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Stressful life events were assessed using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule and rated by a blinded panel for their likelihood to cause CD based on the threat posed and the exte..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Swiss National Research Foundation


Awarded by United Kingdom Medical Research Council


Awarded by MRC


Awarded by Medical Research Council


Awarded by National Institute for Health Research


Funding Acknowledgements

This study was funded by prospective researcher grant PASMP3_132527 from the Swiss National Research Foundation (Dr Aybek), by Bourse Pro-Femme from the University of Lausanne (Dr Aybek), and by Strategic (Milstein) Award G0701055 from the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (Drs Craig, David, and Kanaan). Drs Craig and David were also supported by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust and by the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.