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Impaired motor function in patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures
D K Sackellares1, J C Sackellares
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 32610-0244, USA. sackellares@epilepsy.health.ufl.edu
Epilepsia
|March 7, 2002
Summary
Patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures exhibit reduced motor speed and grip strength, suggesting potential frontal lobe impairment. This contrasts with normal controls who show a dominant-hand advantage.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Psychogenic pseudoseizures are episodes resembling epileptic seizures but without abnormal electrical brain activity.
- Understanding the underlying neurological correlates of psychogenic pseudoseizures is crucial for diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate motor speed and grip strength in individuals diagnosed with psychogenic pseudoseizures.
- To compare motor performance between patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Manual motor speed and grip strength were assessed in 40 patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures and 40 matched healthy controls.
- Performance was evaluated for dominant hand, nondominant hand, and intermanual asymmetry.
- Patient neurologic history, including antecedent factors, was reviewed.
Main Results:
- Patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures demonstrated significantly poorer motor speed and grip strength in both hands compared to controls.
- The typical dominant-hand advantage observed in controls was absent in the patient group.
- A higher prevalence of head trauma, neurological risk factors, and left-handedness was noted in patients.
Conclusions:
- Reduced bilateral motor function and intermanual asymmetry in psychogenic pseudoseizure patients suggest potential frontal lobe dysfunction.
- The increased incidence of left-handedness and history of brain insults further support the hypothesis of underlying neurological impairment.