Testing the 'seizure scaffold': What can experimental simulation tell us about functional seizures?

Introduction: It has been suggested for over 100 years that patterns of neurological symptoms and signs in functional neurological disorders may be shaped at a neural level by underlying ideas or preconceptions how neurological symptoms present. This study used experimental simulation to probe ideas about seizures in healthy volunteers, with a view to compare with features commonly observed in functional and epileptic seizure disorders.

Methods: Sixty healthy volunteers were instructed to simulate an epileptic seizure.