Psychogenic non-epileptic seizure

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), also called functional or dissociative seizures, are episodes of impaired consciousness, abnormal movement and sensory symptoms that may superficially resemble epileptic seizures but are not caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The defining distinction from epilepsy is that PNES occur in the absence of epileptiform activity on an electroencephalogram, so brain imaging shows none of the abnormal electrical patterns characteristic of epilepsy, and the episodes reflect a change in brain function rather than structural disease. The causes of PNES are not well understood, are complex and are not linked to a single underlying mechanism; a biopsychosocial framework combining psychological, neurobiological and social factors is considered most useful, with trauma history, psychiatric conditions, stress and altered brain connectivity all implicated, though establishing causality in an individual case remains difficult.