Dissociation, Epileptiform Discharges and Chaos in the Brain: Toward a Neuroscientific Theory of Dissociation

Abstract

Dissociated states represent pathological conditions when psychological trauma may emerge in a variety of forms such as psychic dissociative symptoms or, on the contrary, as paroxysms or other somatoform symptoms. There is evidence that epileptic activity plays an important role in the generation of dissociative states and it is able to generate various psychopathological processes as well as a wide spectrum of somatic symptoms or seizures. For the explanation of these connections between dissociative states and epileptic discharges the author proposes a neuroscientific model of dissociation based on the theory of competitive neural assemblies which can lead to chaotic self-organization in brain neural networks. This model is suggested as an integrative view interconnecting the various psychopathological and somatoform manifestations of dissociative states and suggests further possibilities for future research regarding common pathogenic mechanisms among epilepsy and mental disorders.

Weakened functional connectivity in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) converges on basal ganglia

“…Recently, failed interhemispheric competition between neural representations due to functional blocking of interhemispheric transfer was suggested as the most likely mechanism for dissociation, which under certain conditions can result in chaotic behaviour 22. We failed to find direct decoupling between the hemispheres through the corpus callosum, but did show that this might occur through subcortical structures.…”

“…It can be understood as a competition between disintegrated mental representations,22 resulting from a disconnection between neural networks that leads to disorganised behaviour. Dissociation in its extreme form is manifested as episodic events of uncontrollable sensory, motor, autonomic, cognitive and emotional experiences, and/or behaviours that may be related to past traumatic experiences 23.…”

Dissociative states in borderline personality disorder and their relationships to psychotropic medication

“… 1 , 5 – 8 In this context, dissociation also reflects a cognitive conflict related to implicitly consolidated traumatic memories. 2 , 6 The process of mental disintegration and conflicting information processing according to recent findings is likely closely associated with activity of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that is related to detecting a cognitive conflict and selection among competing stimuli. 1 , 9 , 10 Dissociative processes were also reported to have a significant role in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other mental diseases, for example, in schizophrenia.…”

‘Pseudoneurological’ symptoms, dissociation and stress-related psychopathology in healthy young adults

“…Somatoform dissociation has been proposed as a concept describing specific forms of dissociative symptoms experienced as somatic disturbances due to alterations of normal integrative functions of consciousness, memory or identity related to stressful experiences [1-4]. Frequently these stressors are linked to an exposition of a trauma in childhood and related to physical, sexual or emotional abuse [5-8].…”

“…The somatic manifestations of dissociation are likely caused by a lack of integration of somatoform components of experience, reactions and functions and represented by various forms of pseudoneurological symptoms [8-11] involving bodily functions such as motor inhibition or loss of motor control, gastrointestinal symptoms, dissociative seizures, painful symptoms, alterations in perception or alterations in sensation of pain (analgesia, kinesthetic anesthesia), for example unability to register pain or painful affect during traumatic event [12-14]. Several studies have shown that the concept of somatoform dissociation may explain various somatic disturbances in psychiatric patients and also in patients with pain disorders that in many cases have unexplained etiology and in principle it could be related to stress exposure and related processes of mental disintegration [2,4,6,8-10,14]. As expected from the psychological theory and clinical data several findings also show that symptoms of somatoform dissociation have close relationship to psychologically experienced dissociative symptoms [6].…”