Abstract
Aim The aim of the present study was assess the perceptual sensitivity of psychogenic
nonepileptic seizure (PNES) patients. Secondarily, we also aimed to replicate previous
findings and explore whether PNES patients exhibit tendencies of preattentiveness
in response to unpleasant stimulus.
Materials and Methods A total of 56 individuals were selected for the present research, from which 28 were
PNES patients and 28 healthy individuals. A 2 × 3 design was used for the present
study. The emotional-N-back paradigm was used for presenting stimuli. Perceptual sensitivity
(d') was calculated on the basis of hits and false positives.
Result The result of analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant distinction between
PNES and healthy individuals on perceptual sensitivity (d') measure (F(1, 50) = 19.11, p = 0.000). Similarly, result of ANOVA (F(2, 100) = 63.64, p = 0.000) for within-group valence showed a significant difference between pleasant,
unpleasant, and neutral stimuli among PNES and healthy individuals ensuring a clear
distinction between them.
Conclusion These findings suggest a notable disparity in perceptual sensitivity between PNES
and healthy individuals, supporting the notion that individual with PNES experience
emotional disturbance and possess a dysfunctional cognitive-affective system. Moreover,
the result lends credence to the hypothesis that PNES patients are more responsive
to unpleasant emotions than to pleasant or neutral ones.
Keywords
PNES - perceptual sensitivity - valence - pathology - IAPS
