Recent advances in understanding the neurobiology of pediatric functional neurological disorder

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Abstract

Introduction: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that manifests in a broad array of functional motor, sensory, or cognitive symptoms, which arise from complex interactions between brain, mind, body, and context. Children with FND make up 10%–20% of presentations to neurology services in children’s hospitals and up to 20% of adolescents admitted to hospital for the management of intractable seizures. Areas Covered: The current review focuses on the neurobiology of pediatric FND. The authors present an overview of the small but growing body of research pertaining to the biological, emotion-processing, cognitive, mental health, physical health, and social system levels. Expert opinion: Emerging research suggests that pediatric FND is underpinned by aberrant changes within and between neuron-glial (brain) networks, with a variety of factors–on multiple system levels–contributing to brain network changes. In pediatric practice, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are commonly reported, and activation or dysregulation of stress-system components is a frequent finding. Our growing understanding of the neurobiology of pediatric FND has yielded important flow-on effects for assessing and diagnosing FND, for developing targeted treatment interventions, and for improving the treatment outcomes of children and adolescents with FND.

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Kozlowska, K., & Scher, S. (2024). Recent advances in understanding the neurobiology of pediatric functional neurological disorder. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. Taylor and Francis Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2024.2333390

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