A structural MRI study of motor conversion disorder: evidence of reduction in thalamic volume

TY - JOUR

T1 - A structural MRI study of motor conversion disorder

T2 - evidence of reduction in thalamic volume

AU - Nicholson, Timothy

AU - Aybek, Selma

AU - Kempton, Matthew

AU - Daly, Eileen

AU - Murphy, Declan

AU - David, Anthony

AU - Kanaan, Richard

PY - 2014/2

Y1 - 2014/2

N2 - OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential abnormalities in subcortical brain structures in conversion disorder (CD) compared with controls using a region of interest (ROI) approach.METHODS: Fourteen patients with motor CD were compared with 31 healthy controls using high-resolution MRI scans with an ROI approach focusing on the basal ganglia, thalamus and amygdala. Brain volumes were measured using Freesurfer, a validated segmentation algorithm.RESULTS: Significantly smaller left thalamic volumes were found in patients compared with controls when corrected for intracranial volume. These reductions did not vary with handedness, laterality, duration or severity of symptoms.CONCLUSIONS: These differences may reflect a primary disease process in this area or be secondary effects of the disorder, for example, resulting from limb disuse. Larger, longitudinal structural imaging studies will be required to confirm the findings and explore whether they are primary or secondary to CD.

AB - OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential abnormalities in subcortical brain structures in conversion disorder (CD) compared with controls using a region of interest (ROI) approach.METHODS: Fourteen patients with motor CD were compared with 31 healthy controls using high-resolution MRI scans with an ROI approach focusing on the basal ganglia, thalamus and amygdala. Brain volumes were measured using Freesurfer, a validated segmentation algorithm.RESULTS: Significantly smaller left thalamic volumes were found in patients compared with controls when corrected for intracranial volume. These reductions did not vary with handedness, laterality, duration or severity of symptoms.CONCLUSIONS: These differences may reflect a primary disease process in this area or be secondary effects of the disorder, for example, resulting from limb disuse. Larger, longitudinal structural imaging studies will be required to confirm the findings and explore whether they are primary or secondary to CD.

KW - Adult

KW - Amygdala

KW - Atrophy

KW - Basal Ganglia

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Conversion Disorder

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Neuroimaging

KW - Thalamus

U2 - 10.1136/jnnp-2013-305012

DO - 10.1136/jnnp-2013-305012

M3 - Article

C2 - 24039028

SN - 0022-3050

VL - 85

SP - 227

EP - 229

JO - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

JF - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

IS - 2

ER -