Altered microstate dynamics in Functional Neurological Disorder
DOKPE
- Lozzi, Irene ORCID University of Verona
- Concetti, Cristina ORCID University of Fribourg
- Stoffel, Natascha ORCID University of Fribourg
- Mouthon, Michael ORCID University of Fribourg
- Braga, Miriam ORCID University of Verona
- Tinazzi, Michele ORCID University of Verona
- Fiorio, Mirta ORCID University of Verona
- Aybek, Selma ORCID University of Fribourg
- 2026
Published in:
- NeuroImage: Clinical. - Elsevier BV. - 2026, vol. 49, p. 103969
English
Background: Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) presents with disabling and heterogeneous motor, sensory,
and cognitive symptoms despite the absence of gross structural pathology. A key question is whether symptoms
reflect disruptions in the intrinsic organization of brain networks. Electroencephalography (EEG) offers a high
temporal resolution view of ongoing dynamics, making it a powerful means to probe such mechanisms.
Methods: We applied a seven-class microstate decomposition to resting-state EEG from 39 patients with FND and
47 matched healthy controls to characterize the temporal dynamics of brain activity. Microstate were labelled AG
according to established topographies. Symptom severity was assessed with the Simplified-Functional Movement
Disorder Rating Scale, and correlations were tested. Logistic regression was used to assess group
discrimination, with accuracy quantified by the area under the curve.
Results: Compared to controls, patients with FND exhibit significantly reduced duration of microstate G, associated
with sensorimotor integration. This alteration correlated negatively with symptom severity scores and
moderately discriminated groups. Transition probabilities analyses uncovered distinct patterns among microstates
A, B and C, suggesting both an exaggerated shift from arousal-related to visual imagery networks and
resistance to engage in self-referential processing.
Conclusions: Our findings provide the first direct evidence of disrupted resting-state microstate organization
across a heterogeneous FND cohort.
and cognitive symptoms despite the absence of gross structural pathology. A key question is whether symptoms
reflect disruptions in the intrinsic organization of brain networks. Electroencephalography (EEG) offers a high
temporal resolution view of ongoing dynamics, making it a powerful means to probe such mechanisms.
Methods: We applied a seven-class microstate decomposition to resting-state EEG from 39 patients with FND and
47 matched healthy controls to characterize the temporal dynamics of brain activity. Microstate were labelled AG
according to established topographies. Symptom severity was assessed with the Simplified-Functional Movement
Disorder Rating Scale, and correlations were tested. Logistic regression was used to assess group
discrimination, with accuracy quantified by the area under the curve.
Results: Compared to controls, patients with FND exhibit significantly reduced duration of microstate G, associated
with sensorimotor integration. This alteration correlated negatively with symptom severity scores and
moderately discriminated groups. Transition probabilities analyses uncovered distinct patterns among microstates
A, B and C, suggesting both an exaggerated shift from arousal-related to visual imagery networks and
resistance to engage in self-referential processing.
Conclusions: Our findings provide the first direct evidence of disrupted resting-state microstate organization
across a heterogeneous FND cohort.
- Faculty
- Faculté des sciences et de médecine
- Department
- Section de médecine
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Pathology, clinical medicine
- Other electronic version
- License
-
CC BY-NC-ND
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.nicl.2026.103969
- ISSN 2213-1582
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/334898
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