Higher levels of dissociative symptoms observed in individuals with functional neurological disorderPeople with FND experience higher levels of dissociation

Frontiers in Medicine Published April 30, 2026 DOI ↗ Editorial oversight: Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain

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Key Takeaway

Note the association between functional neurological disorder and increased dissociative symptoms in real time.

This secondary analysis of a pilot study investigated the relationship between functional neurological disorder and dissociative symptoms. Using ecological momentary assessment via smartphone prompts and wearable heart rate monitoring, the researchers tracked symptoms in a small cohort of individuals with FND alongside age and gender matched healthy controls.

The study reported that the FND group experienced significantly higher levels of dissociative symptoms, including depersonalisation, derealisation, and amnesia, throughout the observation period. The researchers also monitored secondary outcomes such as negative affect, subjective arousal, and heart rate.

Several limitations must be considered. The findings are based on a pilot study with a small number of participants. Additionally, the provided data is from an incomplete abstract, and the study was designed to explore temporal relationships rather than establish causality.

Clinicians should note these observations regarding symptom patterns in FND, while recognizing that further large scale research is necessary to validate these momentary associations in broader populations.

Living with functional neurological disorder (FND) can feel like your body and mind are disconnected. In a recent pilot study, researchers looked closely at how people experience this condition in their everyday lives. By using smartphone prompts and heart rate monitors, they tracked how symptoms shifted from moment to moment.

The study followed seventeen people with FND and seventeen healthy controls for one week. The results showed that the group with FND reported significantly higher levels of dissociation. This includes symptoms like depersonalization (feeling detached from yourself) and derealization (feeling like the world isn't real).

Because this was a small pilot study, we should view these findings as an early look at these patterns. The researchers focused on the temporal relationships between symptoms and daily life, but more research is needed to understand the full picture. It is a starting point for understanding how these intense moments happen in real time.

What this means for you:

People with FND report significantly more dissociative symptoms during daily activities than healthy controls.

Study Details

Study typeCase control

EvidenceLevel 4

PublishedApr 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

IntroductionEvidence suggests that dissociation may play a role in the manifestation of functional neurological disorder (FND). Dissociative experiences are frequently reported in FND, yet their dynamic associations with affective and physiological states remain underexplored. This pilot study aimed to examine dissociative symptoms in daily life in FND, to identify predictors of dissociation using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) combined with wearable heart-rate monitoring.MethodsSeventeen individuals with FND (functional seizures/motor symptoms) and seventeen age- and gender-matched healthy controls completed EMA via pseudorandom smartphone prompts eight times daily for one week. This was a secondary analysis of data from a pilot case-control intensive longitudinal observation study. Dissociation (depersonalisation, derealisation, amnesia), negative affect, and subjective arousal were assessed using items modified from validated scales, while heart-rate was continuously recorded via Fitbit devices. Multilevel modelling was conducted to examine between-group differences, and momentary associations between predictors (negative affect, subjective arousal, heart-rate) and dissociative symptoms within the FND group. Time-lagged analyses explored temporal relationships between the predictors and dissociative symptoms.ResultsThe FND group reported significantly higher dissociative symptoms across the week compared to controls; amnesia (F(1,34)=13.09, p

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