Roberta Pellicciari1, Maria Superbo1, Angelo Fabio Gigante1, Paolo Livrea1, Giovanni Defazio2. 1. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Aldo Moro University of Bari, I - 70124 Bari, Italy. 2. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Aldo Moro University of Bari, I - 70124 Bari, Italy. Electronic address: giovanni.defazio@uniba.it.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The mechanisms underlying functional movement disorders are poorly known. We examined whether experience of a movement disorder model in the family and/or the friendships contributes to functional movement disorders. METHODS: The hypothesis was tested in a case-control study including 33 patients with functional movement disorders and 66 age- and sex-matched patients with organic movement disorders and using a conditional logistic multivariable analysis (adjusted by age, education, disease duration, chronic medical illnesses and clinical phenotype). RESULTS: Case-control comparison yielded a significant association between functional movement disorders and exposure to phenotypically congruent movement disorder models (Odds ratio, 3.9, p = 0.01), mainly when disease model came from friendships (Odds ratio, 5.9, p = 0.04). By contrast no association was found between functional movement disorders and phenotypically different neurological or non neurological disease models. A significant inverse relationship between exposure to a phenotypically concordant movement disorder model and age of disease onset was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support disease modeling as a factor contributing to the phenomenology of functional movement disorders.
INTRODUCTION: The mechanisms underlying functional movement disorders are poorly known. We examined whether experience of a movement disorder model in the family and/or the friendships contributes to functional movement disorders. METHODS: The hypothesis was tested in a case-control study including 33 patients with functional movement disorders and 66 age- and sex-matched patients with organic movement disorders and using a conditional logistic multivariable analysis (adjusted by age, education, disease duration, chronic medical illnesses and clinical phenotype). RESULTS: Case-control comparison yielded a significant association between functional movement disorders and exposure to phenotypically congruent movement disorder models (Odds ratio, 3.9, p = 0.01), mainly when disease model came from friendships (Odds ratio, 5.9, p = 0.04). By contrast no association was found between functional movement disorders and phenotypically different neurological or non neurological disease models. A significant inverse relationship between exposure to a phenotypically concordant movement disorder model and age of disease onset was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support disease modeling as a factor contributing to the phenomenology of functional movement disorders.