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Abstract #4151

Functional Connectivity between Areas Involved in Emotion & Executive Control is Abnormal in Patients with Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

Sylvie J. M. van Der Kruijs1, Maarten J. Vaessen2, Nynke M. G. Bodde1, Richard H. C. Lazeron1, Paul A. M. Hofman2, Walter H. Backes2, Albert P. Aldenkamp1, Jacobus F. A. Jansen2

1Epilepsy Center Kempenhaeghe, Heeze, Netherlands; 2Radiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands


This study sought to investigate whether patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) differ from controls in their resting-state functional connectivity between regions typically activated during attentional processes. Eleven PNES patients and thirteen healthy controls underwent 2 task related (encode and Stroop) and resting state functional MRI. The encode and stroop paradigm did not reveal any differences between the 2 groups. Functional connectivity maps from the resting state fMRI (based on seeds from the encode and Stroop tasks) indicated statistically stronger correlations in the PNES patients. We observed a connectivity abnormality between areas involved in emotional responses and cognitive integration systems, which could explain the involuntary dissociative states typically seen in patients with PNES.