title: Increased activation in cingulate cortex in conversion disorder: what does it mean?
abstract: Conversion disorder is one of the terms used to describe various psychosomatic neurological symptoms that are thought to originate from a psychological conflict. Psychological stressors can usually be identified but appear to be almost similar to the severity of psychological stress in non-psychosomatic neurological disorders. Recent neuroimaging research provides one rather robust finding of increased activation in the anterior cingulate gyrus. This activation has been explained as a reflection of 'active inhibition' or 'self-monitoring' but its meaning in conversion disorder still remains mysterious. In this paper, current theories are re-examined from a neuroanatomical point of view.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. m.van.beilen@neuro.umcg.nl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Beilen
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Leenders
mesh_terms: D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology