To test whether negative emotions modulate functional frontolimbic - motor connectivity in patients with psychogenic motor disturbances: conversion paralysis (CP)
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Changes in physical activity
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
1) Behavioural measures, such as reaction times on the approach-avoidance task
(AA-task).
2) Structural MRI and fMRI data obtained during the AA-task in the MRI scanner.
Secondary outcome
The influence of cortisol and testosterone levels present in saliva, on the
behavioral and MRI results.
Background summary
Conversion paralysis (CP) is characterized by a stress-induced tonic
immobility. Although recent brain imaging studies have indicated that CP is
associated with increased frontal and decreased motor activity, no studies have
systematically explored the interaction between emotions and neural motor
control mechanisms in CP.
The aim of the present study is to test this interaction by applying an fMRI
adapted emotional approach-avoidance task (AA-task). During this task,
participants approach or avoid emotional faces (angry, neutral and happy),
respectively, by pulling a joystick towards or pushing it away from themselves.
Previous fMRI studies using this task have shown that the AA-task reliably maps
the frontal control of emotional actions and that the ventrolateral PFC is
particularly recruited when participants have to make affect-incongruent (or
counter-intuitive) responses, such as approaching an angry face (1). Here we
will apply this task in CP and matched healthy controls to investigate whether
negative emotions moderate local activity and interregional connectivity of
frontolimbic and motor regions in CP. In specific we test the hypotheses that
in CP patients, motor responses (in particular affect-incongruent ones) to
negative stimuli are associated with:
1) increased reaction times and increased activity in limbic and frontal
regions
2) a negative functional connectivity between limbic and motor regions
Study objective
To test whether negative emotions modulate functional frontolimbic - motor
connectivity in patients with psychogenic motor disturbances: conversion
paralysis (CP)
Study design
A static group comparison design (patients versus matched healthy volunteers).
Study burden and risks
All participants will be tested inside a MRI scanner. The Donders Institute for
brain, cognition and behaviour: centre for cognitive neuroimaging has a lot of
experience with the type of research we are proposing in this protocol and
there are no special risks associated with this kind of research. Although
there is no direct benefit to the participants from this proposed research,
this study can increase insight in the neurobiological background of the
failing motor control in patients with conversion paralysis (CP). A greater
understanding of the psychological and neurobiological control mechanisms of CP
is of crucial importance for the development of both psychological and
pharmacological interventions in CP. The study is not only relevant for CP, but
also increased insight in emotion-motor interactions in general.
P.O. Box 9101
6500 HB Nijmegen
NL
P.O. Box 9101
6500 HB Nijmegen
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
Age: 19-55 year. Normal or corrected to normal vision.
Additional for the patients: negative motor symptoms (paralysis, paresis or coordination problems) to the limbs but not to the dominant upper limb (needed for operating the joystick). Additional for the controls: matched for age, gender and education level with the patients.
Exclusion criteria
metal objects in the body, claustrophobia. Additional for the patients: Somatic illnesses (other than psychosomatic complaints of CP), repetitive psychotic episodes, use of anti-psychotic medication, substance abuse.
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL29597.091.09 |