107 research outputs found
A case of functional dystonia: clinical cues to differentiate between organic and functional dystonia
No full textThe psychological impact of COVID-19 among a sample of Italian patients with functional neurological disorders: A preliminary study
No full textA case of foreign accent syndrome in a patient affected by a complex functional movement disorder
No full textCorrigendum to ‘‘The truth about cognitive impairment in functional motor symptoms: An experimental deception study with the Guilty Knowledge Task” [J Clin Neurosci 64 (2019) 174–179]
No full textThe authors regret to inform that the affiliation of the author Fabiana Ruggiero was incorrectly published. The correct affiliation, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, is shown above. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused
The Effect of Intranasal Oxytocin in Patients With Functional Motor Symptoms : a Preliminary Open-Label Case Series
No full textAn exploratory spatial analysis of geographical inequalities of birth intervals among young women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) : a cross-sectional study
No full textBackground:
The length of time between two successive live births (birth interval), is associated with child survival in the developing world. Short birth intervals (<24 months) contribute to infant and child mortality risks. Contraceptive use contributes to a reduction in short birth intervals, but evidence is lacking in the DRC. We aimed to investigate the proportion of short birth intervals at the provincial level among young women in the DRC.
Methods:
Data from the Demographic and Health Survey undertaken in the DRC in 2007 were analyzed. Logistic regression and Bayesian geo-additive models were used to explain provincial inequalities in short birth intervals among women of reproductive age and young women. Posterior odds ratio (OR) and 95% credible region (CR) were estimated via Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. Posterior spatial effects and the associated posterior probability maps were produced at the provincial-level to highlight provinces with a significant higher risk of short birth interval.
Results:
The overall proportion of short birth intervals among all women of reproductive age (15–49 years) and young women (15–24 years) were 30.2% and 38.7% respectively. In multivariate Bayesian geo-additive regression analyses, among the whole sample of women, living in rural areas [OR = 1.07, 95% CR: (0.97, 1.17)], exclusive breastfeeding [1.08 (1.00, 1.17)] and women with primary education [1.06 (1.00, 1.16)], were consistently associated with a higher risk of short birth intervals. For the young women, none of the factors considered were associated with the risk of short birth interval except a marginal effect from the lack of education. There was a spatial variation in the proportion of women reporting short birth intervals and among all women of reproductive age across provinces, with Nord-Kivu [1.12 (1.02, 1.24)], Sud Kivu [1.17 (1.05, 1.29)] and Kasai Occidental [1.18 (1.06, 1.32)] reporting a higher risk of short birth intervals. For young women, the higher risk provinces were Nord-Kivu [1.22 (1.00, 1.54)] and Sud Kivu [1.34 (1.14, 1.63)].
Conclusions:
This study suggests distinct geographic patterns in the proportion of short birth intervals among Congolese women, as well as the potential role of demographic and geographic location factors driving the ongoing higher youth fertility, higher childhood and maternal mortality in the DRC
Anorexia Nervosa and Functional Motor Symptoms : Two Faces of the Same Coin?
No full textThe aim of this study was to compare anorexia nervosa (AN) patients and functional motor symptoms (FMS) patients by assessing their variability in demographic and clinical characteristics, risk factors, precipitators, and family history. The authors assessed levels of depression and anxiety, alexithymia, dissociation, body awareness, self-objectification, and interoception in the two groups, using 20 healthy controls (HCs) as a control group for psychometric assessment and for interoception. Unexpectedly, no differences in the three groups were observed for the measures related to awareness of physical state, including body awareness, self-objectification, and interoceptive ability via the heartbeat task. However, the AN and FMS groups were not different from each other but were different from the HC group with regard to anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and dissociation. In light of the similarities found, these data support the hypothesis of a common etiology involving emotional dysfunction in both disorders. These findings suggest that AN and FMS may be disorders belonging to the same spectrum (where emotional dysregulation is a key feature) and that there exist potential opportunities for collaborative, integrated investigations of etiology, diagnosis, and management of these disorders
The neuromodulatory effect of tDCS in patients affected by functional motor symptoms: an exploratory study
No full textBackground: Recent studies have shown how emotional and cognitive factors might combine together to determine the onset and maintenance of functional motor symptoms (FMS). Nevertheless, no studies have assessed whether brain circuits involved in regulation and processing of emotions and attention might be influenced by neuromodulation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a single anodic tDCS session over the right posterior parietal cortex in subjects with FMS and in healthy individuals. Materials and methods: Nine patients and seven healthy subjects underwent two sessions of tDCS (real and sham), in a randomized order. At the end of each session, all participants underwent the heart beat detection task (interoceptive sensitivity) and the Posner paradigm (spatial attention). Results: After sham stimulation, patients with FMS showed significantly lower interoceptive sensitivity and greater cueing effect for reaction times at the Posner paradigm than healthy controls. There was a significant improvement between the levels of interoceptive sensitivity after real and sham stimulation in the whole group of participants and in the group of patients with FMS. Conclusions: Our study provides first indications for a neuromodulatory effect of a single anodic tDCS session over the right posterior parietal cortex on interoceptive sensitivity in subjects with FMS
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and functional motor symptoms : A common phenomenology?
No full textObjective Recent studies have attempted to compare patients affected by psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) to patients affected by functional motor symptoms (FMS) from a demographic, clinical and psychological perspective. Nevertheless, results are quite controversial and significant conclusions have not been drawn. The aim of our study was to evaluate the phenomenology of psychology of the two groups assessing levels of dissociation and its subcomponents, alexithymia and interoceptive sensitivity in patients with PNES and in patients with FMS. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study recruiting 20 patients with PNES, 20 patients with FMS and 20 healthy subjects as a control group. All subjects underwent: Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20), Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Hamilton Rating Scale for anxiety (HAM-A), heart beat detection task. Results Our data suggest that PNES group scored significantly higher than the healthy control group on a measure of detachment (CDS). Also at the DES, a measure of psychoform dissociation, PNES patients scored significantly higher than healthy subjects. On the other hand patients affected by FMS scored significantly higher than the healthy control group on the SDQ but they did not report more experiences of detachment on the CDS. Patients affected by PNES and FMS were significantly more alexithymic than healthy controls, with a third of them scoring > 61 on the TAS-20. Significance Our data show different psychological mechanisms underlying patients with PNES and patients with FMS. This might lead also to potential implications for treatment
A physical therapy programme for functional motor symptoms: A telemedicine pilot study
No full textIntroduction: for a proportion of patients with functional motor symptoms (FMS), specific physiotherapy has recently emerged as a promising treatment. Aim of the present study was to assess in a sample of patients with FMS the efficacy of a physical therapy-based telemedicine programme on the motor symptoms themselves and on some psychological variables such as anxiety, depression, alexithymia and quality of life. Materials and methods: eighteen patients were recruited. The programme consisted of 24 sessions: three face-to-face sessions (at week 0 (T0), 12 (T1)and 24 (T2))and 21 tele-sessions. Each session included education, movement retraining exercises and development of a management plan. All patients underwent the following assessment at T0, T1 and T2: Psychogenic movement disorders rating scale (PMDRS), assessment of depression, anxiety, alexithymia and quality of life. Self-assessment of outcome (CGI)was recorded at T1 and T2. Results: On the CGI improvement was reported by 66,7% of patients at T1 and 77,8% at T2. A significant improvement over the three time points was shown for PMDRS and for the following domains of the SF-36: general health, vitality, social functioning and mental health. Conclusion: the use of two innovative approaches for FMS (physiotherapy and telemedicine), combined together, might have a valuable role in the treatment of this neuropsychiatric condition
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