Tom Plender

A canvas sign advertising the 36th International Epilepsy Congress in Lisbon, Portugal

Hey folks.

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress is now concluded (great meeting!), so I thought I'd share a few highlights from my talk on Functional / Dissociative Seizures (FDS).

The full talk (and recording) belong to ILAE, but here are some of the key points!

Thankyou that means a lot 😁🙏

Thanks dude, that’s really kind 🙏

I know what I’m reading this weekend! 😎

Thanks 🙏 - wasn’t sure if this is technically correct as I’m not a neuroscientist, just a musician trying to make sense of all this stuff!

Ok thanks🙏 - so maybe I can use this way of thinking and explaining one of the mechanisms behind FND

Really looking forward to this www.rsm.ac.uk/events/hypno...
interest?
@mattburkemd.bsky.social @matthewbroome.bsky.social @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social @susannahpick.bsky.social @wendyburn.bsky.social @inspirethemind.bsky.social @tomplender.bsky.social @fndportal.bsky.social

@fndportal.bsky.social @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social @alancarson15.bsky.social @wesleytkerr.bsky.social @katerinafoto.bsky.social @nielsdetert.bsky.social @drzoffness.bsky.social @susannahpick.bsky.social

Latest attempt to try and define predictive brain mechanism in #FND in the simplest terms -

A disconnect in the brain where -

Beliefs/expectations + prior experiences

Outweigh

Incoming sensory input from present reality

Does that seem accurate? Any thoughts appreciated 🙏

@fndportal.bsky.social @katerinafoto.bsky.social @doug-mcleod.bsky.social @gailfdavies.bsky.social

YouTube video by Dr Abhijit Das Hypnosis and Suggestion: An ideal therapy for Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)?

Is hypnosis the ideal therapy for #FND ?great presentation from Dr Abhijit Das -

youtu.be/GEKLOwfhvA8?...

Functional seizures don't act like epilepsy. Functional movement disorders don't act like nervous system damage.

But is FND feigning or malingering? No!

A great paper from @mahyog.bsky.social @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social explains why

www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfil...

#fnd #disabilityrights

“Connections between the nervous and immune systems are increasingly recognized as central to brain–body physiology […] we examine how these systems collaborate to detect and respond to both internal and external stimuli — such as psychological stress, circadian cues, infection, and tissue injury.“

“The findings emphasize the need for personalised and compassionate care for individuals suffering from FND, underpinned by increased service provision within the healthcare system.”

Professor Aikaterini Fotopoulou Awarded 2025 ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize Professor Aikaterini Fotopoulou from UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences has been awarded the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies meeting.

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. @katerinafoto.bsky.social‬, who has won the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize for her outstanding contributions to promoting equality and diversity in the brain sciences. ‪@network-alba.bsky.social‬ @kavlifoundation.org‬

YouTube video by Pain Free You Are You Losing Hope?

For anybody struggling- great video from Dan Buglio on not losing hope with these #FND / chronic pain type conditions
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ccd...

YouTube video by Theoretical Neurobiology Group FEP & Functional Neurological Disorder: Clinical Features and a Therapeutic Approach - Abhijit Das

Fascinating talk with @Brain_Tinkerer and Karl Friston on how hypnosis for #FND might fit into a Free energy principle/ computational neuroscience model

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvoN...

@fndportal.bsky.social @katerinafoto.bsky.social @edinpublishing.bsky.social

4/I don't dispute that for a subset of #FND patients repression/dissociation is an issue that can make symptoms worse. However for many the exact opposite is true, the traumatic memory or triggering event is TOO vivid - and thats a big part of the problem

6/Not all FND patients have psychological trauma, and in those where trauma is a contributing factor, there is still a lot of variability and complexity

5/This is why rigid theories like Freudian conversion disorder frequently fail FND patients – they are too narrow and simplistic and don't allow for the complexity and variability within FND – in terms of causation, individual response etc

3/The theory is the traumatic memory is not processed into long term memory storage, so the brain ends up stuck and hyperdefensive, constantly reliving the event and watching for similar dangers. In this hyper aroused state it often misinterprets harmless stimuli as a threat.

2/they are more likely to remember traumatic events vividly as opposed to mundane events from the same time period. As a result the brains threat detection systems keep the memory alive in time, so it can 'hypervigilantly' watch for anything similar that could be a threat

1/A major flaw with Freuds conversion disorder theory- that patients who've been traumatised cannot consciously remember the event and it ends up repressed. In my experience people are more likely to vividly remember traumatic events from the past-

Sadly still seeing many reports from newly-diagnosed folks in FND spaces that their doctor diagnosed them by “ruling things out.”

This is bad!

FND should be diagnosed based on positive clinical signs.

It is not a diagnosis of exclusion.

Someone please have a word with the neurologists 🙏

Could you send me some links? - I’d be v interested to read. All the FND brain network research seems to involve limbic system- often hyper connecting to motor cortex, so it makes sense - a lot of overlap with pain science & PTSD

2/The brains threat systems keep pumping out pain signals or immobilising you with spasm, fatigue, seizures etc because they are convinced you are still under threat. Despite the fact the initial injury may have healed or the traumatic event may have passed.

1/In #FND , chronic pain & PTSD it seems like ‘threat detection’ areas of the brain are almost frozen in time. Even though the triggering event i.e injury, accident or psychological trauma are over- these deep unconscious areas of the brain are convinced they are still taking place.

That’s a good way of putting it 👍

😁👍👍👍