Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Imaging repressed memories in motor conversion disorder.

Richard A A Kanaan1, Tom K J Craig, Simon C Wessely

  • 1Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. r.kanaan@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Psychosomatic Medicine
|March 1, 2007
PubMed
Summary

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate conversion disorders. Neuroimaging revealed brain activity linked to repressed traumatic memories, correlating with neurological symptoms.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Changes in insight and outcome over the early course of first-episode psychosis. The OPTiMiSE trial.

Schizophrenia research. Cognition·2026
Same author

Aetiological factors in functional seizures and functional motor symptoms: shared and distinct features.

Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2026
Same author

Increased Brain-Age Gap in Young Adults With Psychotic Experiences.

Biological psychiatry global open science·2026
Same author

Feasibility of an adjunctive INtervention for Debilitating symptom complexes attributed to ticks (FIND): study protocol for a randomised, waitlist-controlled feasibility trial.

BMJ open·2026
Same author

Cognition and metacognition in functional motor symptoms and functional seizures: a case-control study.

Psychological medicine·2026
Same author

The association between childhood Toxoplasma gondii, psychotic experiences and grey matter volume: A population-based cohort study.

Schizophrenia research·2026

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Conversion disorders present unexplained neurological symptoms with presumed psychiatric origins, lacking a clear neuroscientific basis.
  • Current models suggest repressed or subconscious processing of events contributes to symptoms, making subjective reports unreliable.

Observation:

  • A single case study examined a 37-year-old woman with repressed recall and unexplained right-sided paralysis.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) assessed emotion processing of traumatic memories using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS).

Findings:

  • Recall of a repressed traumatic event showed brain activation in the amygdala and right inferior frontal lobe, indicative of emotional arousal.
  • This recall correlated with reduced motor activity in the limb experiencing paralysis.

Related Experiment Videos

Implications:

  • Provides neuroimaging evidence linking traumatic events to persistent neurological symptoms in conversion disorders.
  • Suggests a neurobiological basis for conversion disorder symptoms, moving beyond purely psychiatric explanations.