Incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work on this with @liviaasan.bsky.social, @timnicholson.bsky.social, @bibastanton.bsky.social, Tom Pollak and Mark Edwards.

Our results suggest that both the severity of the precipitating illness and pre-existing vulnerability contribute to the risk of FND. They may have implications beyond post-COVID context, offering insights into how acute medical stressors interact with underlying vulnerability to precipitate FND.

The incidence of FND was higher after COVID-19 than after other respiratory tract infections. Following COVID-19, new-onset FND was more frequent in individuals with more severe acute illness and in those with greater pre-existing neurological, psychiatric and medical comorbidity.

Grateful to share this work with my amazing coauthors:
@timnicholson.bsky.social, @liviaasan.bsky.social, @bibastanton.bsky.social, Tom Pollak and Mark Edwards (@kingsioppn.bsky.social, University Hospital Essen and University of Ljubljana).

#fnd, #neurology, #psychiatry, #neuropsychiatry

Crucially, adverse life events are not universally present in FND and should not form the basis for diagnosis. However, when they are present, the nature of stressors shapes the clinical phenotype and should inform an individualised management approach.

Using TriNetX, an international electronic health records network, we observed that stressors were more common in FND than in matched migraine or generalised anxiety disorder cohorts, with psychosocial stressors particularly common. Stressor type and timing were associated with clinical features.

Interventions that disrupt pathological equilibria may unlock a window for recalibration and promote recovery.

Delighted to share this exciting work led by Tom Pollak (substack.com/@drtompollak), together with @drmichaellevin.bsky.social, Anjali Bhat, Matt Butler, and Mark Edwards