Imaging Repressed Memories in Motor Conversion Disorder

Bibliographic Data

ID19301656
AuthorsRichard Kanaan (0000-0003-0992-1917, King's College London, corresponding author), Richard A A Kanaan, Tom Craig (0000-0003-1442-0391, Burn Institute), Tom K J Craig, Simon Wessely (0000-0002-6743-9929, Burn Institute), Simon C Wessely, A Scott David (0000-0003-0967-774X, Burn Institute)
Year2007
Volume69
Issue2
Pages202-205
Publication date2007-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/psy.0b013e31802e4297
PMID17327215
OpenAlexW2138336681
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited15

Objectives: Conversion disorders comprise neurologically unexplained symptoms with a presumed psychiatric cause, though a neuroscientific basis for this is lacking. The standard psychiatric model of conversion holds that events and processes that might explain the symptoms are, by hypothesis, either repressed or subconscious. This makes assessments based on subjective reports unreliable. We circumvent this by using a standardized method to quantify stressful life events and by assessing objectively the neural correlates of emotion processing. Methods: Single case study of a 37-year-old woman with clinically repressed recall and unexplained right-sided paralysis. We describe the application of the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) to her history, and a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) procedure exploring emotion processing of traumatic and control memories. Results: While in the scanner, cued recall of the clinically repressed event was associated with regional brain activations characteristic of emotional arousal, including the amygdala and right inferior frontal lobe, when compared with an equally severe event from the patient's past, as rated by the LEDS. Such recall was also associated with decreased motor activity in the area corresponding to the subjectively paralyzed limb. Conclusion: This case study provides neuroimaging evidence for a connection between traumatic events and ongoing neurological symptoms. CT = computerized tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; EEG = Electroencephalogram; ICD = International Classification of Diseases; fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging; LEDS = Life Events & Difficulties Schedule; mg = milligrams; BA = Brodmann area; T = Tesla; BOLD = Blood Oxygen Level Dependent; TR = Time to repeat

Amygdala · Cognitive psychology · Conversion disorder · Functional magnetic resonance imaging · Neuroimaging · Psychiatry · Recall · Neuroscience · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments · Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction · Traumatic Brain Injury Research

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