Hedonicity in functional motor disorders: a chemosensory study assessing taste
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NEUROLOGY AND PRECLINICAL NEUROLOGICAL STUDIES - ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Hedonicity in functional motor disorders: a chemosensory study assessing taste Maria Paola Cecchini1 · Stefano Tamburin2 · Alice Zanini1 · Federico Boschi3 · Benedetta Demartini4 · Diana Goeta4 · Carlo Dallocchio5 · Angela Marotta6 · Mirta Fiorio6 · Michele Tinazzi2 Received: 13 July 2020 / Accepted: 13 August 2020 / Published online: 28 August 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The aim of this study was to explore hedonicity to basic tastes in patients with functional motor disorders (FMDs) that are often associated with impairment in emotional processing. We recruited 20 FMD patients and 24 healthy subjects, matched for age and sex. Subjects were asked to rate the hedonic sensation (i.e., pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant) on a − 10 to +10 scale to the four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) at different concentrations, and neutral stimuli (i.e., no taste stimulation) by means of the Taste Strips Test. Anxiety, depression, and alexithymia were assessed. FMD patients rated the highest concentration of sweet taste (6.7 ± 2.6) as significantly more pleasant than controls (4.7 ± 2.5, p = 0.03), and the neutral stimuli significantly more unpleasant (patients: − 0.7 ± 0.4, controls: 0.1 ± 0.4, p = 0.013). Hedonic ratings were not correlated to anxiety, depression, or alexithymia scores. Hedonic response to taste is altered in FMD patients. This preliminary finding might result from abnormal interaction between sensory processing and emotional valence. Keywords Taste · Hedonicity · Functional motor disorders (FMD)
Introduction
Maria Paola Cecchini and Stefano Tamburin have contributed equally to this work. * Maria Paola Cecchini [email protected] * Michele Tinazzi [email protected] 1
Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Anatomy and Histology Section, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona, Italy
2
Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Neurology Section, Verona University Hospital, University of Verona, Piazzale Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, Italy
3
Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
4
Psychiatry Unit II, A.O. San Paolo, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Milan, Italy
5
Neurology Unit, Department of Medical Area, ASST Pavia, Pavia, Italy
6
Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Functional motor disorders (FMDs) are part of the wide spectrum of functional neurological disorders that include non-epileptic seizures and sensory symptoms. FMDs are characterized by abnormal movements (e.g., weakness, tremor, and dystonia) that are clinically incongruent with motor disorders caused by known neurological diseases and significantly altered by distraction or non-physiological maneuvers including dramatic placebo response (Lehn et al. 2016). FMDs are often associated with psychiatric comorbidity, e.g., personality disorders and severe distress, disability, and social
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