Emotion regulation and functional neurological symptoms: Does emotion processing convert into sensorimotor activity?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychophysiology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Functional neurological symptoms (FNS) are hypothesized to involve a shift from emotion processing to sensorimotor deficits.
• Limited psychophysiological evidence currently supports this FNS hypothesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neuromagnetic and somatic sensation changes during emotion regulation in FNS patients.
• To examine frontocortical and sensorimotor activity as indicators of altered emotion processing in FNS.

Main Methods:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) were used in 20 FNS patients and 20 healthy controls (HC).
• Participants underwent an emotion regulation task involving viewing emotional stimuli and cognitive reappraisal.
• Cortical activity (alpha power modulation) and somatic sensation thresholds were measured.

Main Results:

• Healthy controls exhibited frontocortical alpha power modulation during emotion regulation, unlike FNS patients.
• FNS patients displayed significant activity modulation in sensorimotor regions.
• FNS patients showed a decreased discomfort threshold post-task and increased symptom intensity compared to HC.

Conclusions:

• FNS patients demonstrate reduced frontocortical and heightened sensorimotor engagement in emotion regulation.
• Findings support a model where aversive feelings may convert into aversive somatic sensations in FNS.
• This study provides psychophysiological evidence linking emotion processing alterations to sensorimotor deficits in FNS.