Brain imaging research is thriving in functional neurological disorder

 

1. Introduction

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a condition at the neurology-psychiatry interface that impacts individuals across the lifespan (Hallett et al., 2022). The conceptualization of FND in the 20th century was fraught with dualistic perspectives of brain versus mind – exemplified by outdated terms such as “hysteria” and “psychogenic”. Structure and function are closely coupled in the human brain, and neuroimaging research in FND provides an opportunity to bridge the science of brain and mind in this prevalent and potentially disabling condition (Finkelstein et al., 2025, O’Mahony et al., 2023). Advancing the neuroscience of FND further erodes artificial distinctions between brain health and mental health – and offers the potential to develop novel mechanistically-informed treatments.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221315822600063X