title: Psychiatric and neuropsychological profiles of people with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the psychiatric and neuropsychological profiles of people with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-people who had been diagnosed with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), but not epilepsy, were recruited into this study. A healthy control group was also recruited and was matched for age and gender. All participants underwent structured psychiatric assessment and psychometric assessment. Neuropsychological assessment was carried out using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB) after participants passed the Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT) of effort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One patient failed the MSVT and was excluded from the analysis. Therefore, data from 19 people with PNES and their matched healthy controls were analyzed. Compared with controls, people with PNES had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, dissociative experiences, and alexithymic traits. In addition, people with PNES had impairments in spatial working memory and attention when compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that, compared with controls, people with PNES have abnormal cognitive functioning after controlling for effects of effort and FSIQ. People with PNES also have high levels of anxiety, depressive, and dissociative symptoms. In addition, they appear to particularly focus on health problems and show evidence of chronic emotional dysregulation. Further studies are required to replicate our results and to help clarify the pathogenic mechanisms underlying PNES.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, Cavan Monaghan Mental Health Service, Cavan General Hospital, Cavan, Ireland. Electronic address: finobrien@rcsi.ie.
authors.forename: Finian M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland; Department of Psychology, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland.
authors.forename: Gillian M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fortune
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology & Public Health Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dicker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Hanlon
authors.affiliation: Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cassidy
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Neurology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Delanty
authors.affiliation: Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; University of Vermont, VT, USA.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Garavan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors.forename: Kieran C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Emotional dysregulation; Etiology; Neuropsychology; PNES; Psychometric