Abstract Details

Title Individual Differences in Social Network Size Linked to Nucleus Accumbens and Hippocampal Volumes in Motor Functional Neurological Disorders

Topic Aging, Dementia, and Behavioral Neurology

Presentation(s) P2 - Poster Session 2 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 9-016

Objective

The study investigated how patient-reported social network size related to predisposing vulnerabilities, symptom severity, and structural brain profiles in motor FND patients. We hypothesized that reduced social network size would correlate with trauma burden, depression/anxiety, personality traits, symptom severity, and structural brain alterations within salience/reward processing areas.

Background In the biopsychosocial formulation of Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), little is known about relationships between social behavior and other neuropsychiatric factors.

Design/Methods

In 38 motor FND patients (25 woman, 13 men), we analyzed how Social Network Index (SNI) network size related to demographics, risk factors, and symptom severity. Data from 23 patients with MRIs were used to perform FreeSurfer analyses adjusting for age, gender, and total intracranial volume. Cortical thickness analyses were corrected at the cluster-wise level and subcortical analyses were Bonferroni corrected.

Results In psychometric analyses, social network size positively correlated with physical and mental health, graduating college and working full-time; SNI-social network size inversely related to lifetime trauma burden, PTSD severity, neuroticism and pain catastrophizing. Across motor FND subtypes, patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures showed a tendency towards increased social network size compared to other motor FND subtypes. In neuroimaging analyses, a larger social network correlated with left nucleus accumbens (p_corrected=0.045) and hippocampal (p_corrected=0.009) volumes; both results remained significant when adjusting for depression scores.

Conclusions This cohort study suggests that risk factors for the development of FND negatively impact social behaviors, and supports a role for the nucleus accumbens in social behaviors across clinical and non-clinical populations.

Authors/Disclosures
Juan Pablo Ospina Botero, MD (University of Chicago) PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Benjamin Williams	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
David L. Perez, MD, FAAN (Massachusetts General Hospital)	Dr. Perez has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Wiley: Brain and Behavior. Dr. Perez has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for American Psychiatric Association Publishing. The institution of Dr. Perez has received research support from NIH. The institution of Dr. Perez has received research support from Sidney R. Baer Jr. Foundation. The institution of Dr. Perez has received research support from Warren Alpert Foundation. Dr. Perez has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care. Dr. Perez has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care.

��ɫ��

��ɫ��