He has had a research interest in functional disorders in neurology since 1999 and completed his PhD thesis on a case control study of patients with functional limb weakness. He has published widely in the area including systematic reviews, large cohort studies, imaging studies and treatment studies. He has contributed to new diagnostic criteria for DSM-5 and ICD-11 and the development of professional organisations in this area.
In 2009 he made a website for patients with functional neurological disorders at neurosymptoms.org which has been translated by other neurologists in to 12 other languages and receives 60,000 visits a month. As of August 2012 is a National Research Strategy (NHS Scotland) Career Fellow. His work has been recognised with plenary sessions at the World Congress of Neurology, American Academy of Neurology, Movement Disorders World Congress and Association of British Neurologists as well as the Jean Hunter Award for Nervous Diseases (Royal College of Physicians).
Alan John Carson, MBCHB, MPHIL, MD, FRCPSYCH, FRCP is Consultant Neuropsychiatrist in Edinburgh, U.K. His interest in neuropsychiatry began during a spell working in Kenya, as a Wellcome Research Registrar, conducting a study on the psychiatric and cognitive effects of HIV infection. He then completed his higher training in Edinburgh, under the guidance of Professors Michael Sharpe and Charles Warlow, where he developed an interest in functional neurological symptoms. Dr. Carson currently works as a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist in Edinburgh, split between the brain injury units at the Astley Ainslie Hospital and the Regional Neurosciences Unit at the Western General Hospital, where along with Dr. Jon Stone, he is engaged in a series of studies on functional neurological symptoms. He has led a number of epidemiological studies on functional disorders, most notably the Scottish Neurological Symptoms Study. He has a particular interest in development of treatment strategies for functional disorders and has led development of novel brief psychotherapies for functional symptoms, and is one of the lead investigators for the CODES trial of CBT for dissociative seizures. Dr. Carson holds a number of advisory posts in neuropsychiatry and he is the chair of the National MCN for acquired brain injury. He is the associate editor of Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry and the President of the British Neuropsychiatry Association.Functional Neurologic Disorders, the latest volume in the Handbook of Clinical Neurology series, summarizes state-of-the-art research findings and clinical practice on this class of disorders at the interface between neurology and psychiatry. This 51-chapter volume offers an historical introduction, chapters on epidemiology and pathophysiolology, a large section on the clinical features of different type of functional neurologic symptoms and disorders (including functional movement disorders, non-epileptic seizures, dizziness, vision, hearing, speech and cognitive symptoms), and then concluding with approaches to therapy.
This group of internationally acclaimed experts in neurology, psychiatry, and neuroscience represent a broad spectrum of areas of expertise, chosen for their ability to write clearly and concisely with an eye toward a clinical audience. This HCN volume sets a new landmark standard for a comprehensive, multi-authored work dealing with functional neurologic disorders (also described as psychogenic, dissociative or conversion disorders).
Section 1: History
Chapter 1: A brief history of hysteria: From the ancient to the modern
Chapter 2: Charcot, hysteria, and simulated disorders
Chapter 3: Neurologic approaches to hysteria, psychogenic and functional disorders from the late 19th century onwards
Chapter 4: Freud's hysteria and its legacy
Section 2: Epidemiology, etiology, and mechanism
Chapter 5: Epidemiology
Chapter 6: Neurophysiologic studies of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 7: Imaging studies of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 8: Dissociation and functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 9: Hypnosis as a model of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 10: Psychologic theories in functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 11: Voluntary or involuntary? A neurophysiologic approach to functional movement disorders
Chapter 12: Neurobiologic theories of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 13: Stress, childhood trauma, and cognitive functions in functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 14: Do (epi)genetics impact the brain in functional neurologic disorders?
Section 3: Symptoms (including signs and investigations)
Chapter 15: Assessment of patients with functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 16: The classification of conversion disorder (functional neurologic symptom disorder) in ICD and DSM
Chapter 17: Neurologic diagnostic criteria for functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 18: Functional limb weakness and paralysis
Chapter 19: Functional tremor
Chapter 20: Functional dystonia
Chapter 21: Functional jerks, tics, and paroxysmal movement disorders
Chapter 22: Psychogenic (functional) parkinsonism
Chapter 23: Functional gait disorder
Chapter 24: Functional sensory symptoms
Chapter 25: Nonepileptic seizures - subjective phenomena
Chapter 26: Nonepileptic seizures - objective phenomena
Chapter 27: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: EEG and investigation
Chapter 28: Functional coma
Chapter 29: Functional and simulated visual loss
Chapter 30: Functional eye movement disorders
Chapter 31: Functional facial and tongue movement disorders
Chapter 32: Functional auditory disorders
Chapter 33: Functional speech disorders: clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management
Chapter 34: Functional voice disorders: Clinical presentations and differential diagnosis
Chapter 35: Psychologic/functional forms of memory disorder
Chapter 36: Functional (dissociative) retrograde amnesia
Chapter 37: Functional (psychogenic) dizziness
Chapter 38: Urologic symptoms and functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 39: Functional disorders of swallowing
Chapter 40: Pediatric functional neurologic symptoms
Chapter 41: Posttraumatic functional movement disorders
Chapter 42: Factitious disorders and malingering in relation to functional neurologic disorders
Section 4: Treatment
Chapter 43: Prognosis of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 44: Explanation as treatment for functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 45: Physical treatment of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 46: Psychologic treatment of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 47: Hypnosis as therapy for functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 48: Nature of the placebo and nocebo effect in relation to functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 49: The role of placebo in the diagnosis and treatment of functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 50: Transcranial magnetic stimulation and sedation as treatment for functional neurologic disorders
Chapter 51: Inpatient treatment for functional neurologic disorders
Index