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Abstract
Instances of recovery from a functional neurological disorder (FND) can shine a light on the nature of the condition and its potential treatment. Unexpected recovery of FND symptoms can occur after a comatose state or an anaesthetic, or after various other scenarios. Two illustrative cases exemplify the phenomenon. A 59-year-old man had an 8-year history of functional paraparesis that had developed subacutely following a car crash. The paralysis recovered dramatically after an episode of medically induced coma, administered because of SARS-CoV-2 acute respiratory distress. A 40-year-old woman had complete recovery of FND-related arm paralysis and associated chronic pain after a deliberate overdose that led to a comatose state necessitating a brief period of ventilation. We compare these with similar recoveries in other scenarios, such as following hypnosis or extreme external stress. We discuss the potential mechanisms for recovery and the implications for FND treatment.
- COVID-19
- COMA
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Footnotes
X @jonstoneneuro, @basbloem
Contributors PMK, BRB, JS and MV are author contributors. BRB and JS proposed the idea for this article and each provided one patient case to include in the article. PMK collected both patient data as well as literature to provide the basis of this article. PMK wrote the first draft of the article. BRB, JS and MV revised the first draft as well as following drafts and provided input for further drafts which were proposed by PMK. All authors contributed to the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript. PMK is the guarantor.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally reviewed by Biba Stanton, London, UK.
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