{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T23:39:56Z","timestamp":1792798796425,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"BMJ","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778112000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King\u2019s College London","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/015803449","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000265","name":"Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MR\/V032771\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/V032771\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000265","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Functional seizures (FS) and functional motor symptoms (FMS), subtypes of functional neurological disorder, may involve shared and distinct predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and triggering (PPPT) factors. This study investigated potential self-reported PPPT factors in FS and FMS separately.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>200 participants (FS=50, FMS=50, individuals with anxiety and\/or depression (clinical controls [CC]=50, healthy controls [HC]=50) completed an in-depth medical history interview and online questionnaires to assess potential aetiological factors including traumatic\/adverse life events, alexithymia, autistic traits, psychological and physical symptoms, illness perceptions, cognitive-behavioural responses and outcome measures of general functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants with FS more frequently reported traumatic\/adverse events and psychopathology (eg, dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder) as possible illness causes\/precipitating factors and sensory symptom triggers, relative to FMS and\/or CCs. In contrast, participants with FMS endorsed physical illness causes\/precipitating factors and physical activity and emotion-related symptom triggers more frequently than FS and\/or CCs. Physical and dissociative symptoms were elevated, alongside reductions in HRQoL and general functioning in FS\/FMS compared with CCs\/HCs. Greater current, threatening illness-related beliefs\/cognitions were disclosed in FS\/FMS compared with CCs. Negative associations between HRQoL, cognitive-behavioural responses and traumatic\/adverse events were also seen in FS\/FMS.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Traumatic events and psychopathology may be more prominently involved in the development\/maintenance of FS and physical illness\/injury, physical functioning and alexithymia may be more central to FMS. Unhelpful illness-related beliefs and impacts on HRQoL and general functioning are shared between these subtypes. The results of this study provide insight into potential unique and overlapping characteristics of FS\/FMS, with implications for treatment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/jnnp-2025-337694","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T17:20:18Z","timestamp":1778174418000},"page":"jnnp-2025-337694","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Aetiological factors in functional seizures and functional motor symptoms: shared and distinct features"],"prefix":"10.1136","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7872-0679","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"L S Merritt","family":"Millman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, 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