Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (Conversion Disorder): A role for microglial-based plasticity mechanisms?

Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (FND) is a relatively common neurological condition, accounting for approximately 3-6% of neurologist referrals. FND is considered a transient disorder of neuronal function, sometimes linked to physical trauma and psychological stress. Despite this, chronic disability is common, for example, around 40% of adults with motor FND have permanent disability. Building on current theoretical models, this paper proposes that microglial dysfunction could perpetuate functional changes within acute motor FND, thus providing a pathophysiological mechanism underlying the chronic stage of the motor FND phenotypes seen clinically.

Source: Medical Hypotheses - December 9, 2017 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Chris P. Stephenson, Ian J. Baguley Source Type: research