Table 4.
Summary of studies of patients with sensory conversion symptoms
| Study | Comparison | N | Imaging Modality |
Areas of increased activation in clinical group |
Areas of decreased activation in clinical group |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (134) | Median nerve stimulation vs. rest |
1 | SPECT | Contralateral Parietal Lobe |
Perfusion abnormality resolved with recovery |
|
| (135) | Vibratory tactile stimulation vs. rest |
7 | SPECT | Contralateral basal ganglia and thalamus |
In a subset of 4 patients who recovered the hypoperfusion was found to have resolved and baseline perfusion of the caudate nucleus was found to predict recovery |
|
| (136) | Painful and non-painful tactile stimulation of anaesthetic vs. normal limb |
4 | fMRI | Anterior ACC | PFC, posterior ACC and sensory cortex |
Across the group conditions were compared with a qualitative analysis |
| (137)a | Monocular visual stimulation vs. rest. |
5 | fMRI | Left inferior frontal cortex (BA 47), insula and uncus (BA 34) and bilateral striatum |
Visual cortex (BA 17/18) and ACC (BA 25) |
A non-clinical control group was also tested allowing a between group analysis. |
| (138) | Vibratory stimulation of anaesthetic limb vs. bilateral limb stimulation |
3 | fMRI | Contralateral sensory cortex |
Contralateral (to the symptoms) sensory cortex was activated during bilateral stimulation. |
a
All patient groups reported loss of somatic sensation except in which the presenting complaint was unexplained visual loss.