Tondinelli Alice (Italy)
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro CuoreAuthor Of 1 Presentation
THEORY OF MIND: A CLUE TO FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT DISORDERS DIAGNOSIS
- Sonia Di Tella (Italy)
Abstract
Background and Aims:
Functional movement disorders (FMD) are a group of manifestations that are incongruent with known neurological diseases, interpreted as conversion disorders. Abnormal activation has been documented in regions crucial for the elaboration of social cognition aspects, such as Theory of Mind (ToM). ToM defines the ability to attribute mental states to ourselves and others that allows us to understand others’ motivation in generating actions during social interaction. We hypothesized that ToM disorders which result in reduced ability to make inferences about others’ mental states, might underlie FMD.
Methods:
Eighteen subjects with FMD and 28 matched healthy controls (HC) were given First- and Second-Order False Beliefs, the Faux-Pas Recognition Test and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET). Subjects were also administered the DES-II questionnaire for measuring dissociative symptoms. The severity of FMD was rated with the Simplified-FMD Rating Scale (S-FMDRS).
Results:
HC scored better than the FMD group on Second-Order False Beliefs, RMET and Faux Pas Recognition Test. The mean score of the FMD group on the DES-II Scale was 20.00 (range 1.79-72.14), which indicates borderline personality disorders. No correlation emerged between S-FMDRS and any measure of ToM ability or the DES-II scale.
Conclusions:
ToM disorder might underlie FMD as expression of the inability to read the intention of the other individuals in motor behaviour. Reduced scores on the DES-II scale suggest that FMD might also originate from the inability to read one’s own mental state. FMD could represent an experimental model for understanding the relationship between 'organic' and functional manifestations.