• Richard A A Kanaan, Roderick Duncan, Laura H Goldstein, Joseph Jankovic, and Andrea E Cavanna.
• Department of Psychiatry, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia richard.kanaan@unimelb.edu.au.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2017 May 1; 88 (5): 425-429.

BackgroundPsychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are classified with other functional neurological symptoms as 'Conversion Disorder', but there are reasons to wonder whether this symptomatology constitutes a distinct entity.MethodsWe reviewed the literature comparing PNES with other functional neurological symptoms.ResultsWe find eight studies that directly examined this question. Though all but one found significant differences-notably in presenting age, trauma history, and dissociation-they were divided on whether these differences represented an important distinction.ConclusionWe argue that the aetiological and mechanistic distinctions they support, particularly when bolstered by additional data, give reason to sustain a separation between these conditions.© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

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