OBJECTIVE: To detect anatomical differences in areas related to motor processing between patients with motor conversion disorder (CD) and controls. METHODS: T1-weighted 3T brain MRI data of 15 patients suffering from motor CD (nine with hemiparesis and six with paraparesis) and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers were compared using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and voxel-based cortical thickness (VBCT) analysis. RESULTS: We report significant cortical thickness (VBCT) increases in the bilateral premotor cortex of hemiparetic patients relative to controls and a trend towards increased grey matter volume (VBM) in the same region. Regression analyses showed a non-significant positive correlation between cortical thickness changes and symptom severity as well as illness duration in CD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Cortical thickness increases in premotor cortical areas of patients with hemiparetic CD provide evidence for altered brain structure in a condition with presumed normal brain anatomy. These may either represent premorbid vulnerability or a plasticity phenomenon related to the disease with the trends towards correlations with clinical variables supporting the latter.
OBJECTIVE: To detect anatomical differences in areas related to motor processing between patients with motor conversion disorder (CD) and controls. METHODS: T1-weighted 3T brain MRI data of 15 patients suffering from motor CD (nine with hemiparesis and six with paraparesis) and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers were compared using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and voxel-based cortical thickness (VBCT) analysis. RESULTS: We report significant cortical thickness (VBCT) increases in the bilateral premotor cortex of hemiparetic patients relative to controls and a trend towards increased grey matter volume (VBM) in the same region. Regression analyses showed a non-significant positive correlation between cortical thickness changes and symptom severity as well as illness duration in CD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Cortical thickness increases in premotor cortical areas of patients with hemiparetic CD provide evidence for altered brain structure in a condition with presumed normal brain anatomy. These may either represent premorbid vulnerability or a plasticity phenomenon related to the disease with the trends towards correlations with clinical variables supporting the latter.
Authors: Benjamin Williams; Rozita Jalilianhasanpour; Nassim Matin; Gregory L Fricchione; Jorge Sepulcre; Matcheri S Keshavan; W Curt LaFrance; Bradford C Dickerson; David L Perez Journal: J Psychiatr Res Date: 2018-04-06 Impact factor: 4.791
Authors: Carine W Maurer; Kathrin LaFaver; Gaurang S Limachia; Geanna Capitan; Rezvan Ameli; Stephen Sinclair; Steven A Epstein; Mark Hallett; Silvina G Horovitz Journal: Neurology Date: 2018-10-10 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: David L Perez; Timothy R Nicholson; Susannah Pick; Laura H Goldstein Journal: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Date: 2018-11-19 Impact factor: 10.154