Exploring new stimulation locations via functional magnetic resonance imaging may improve the efficacy. However, the sites used in previous studies were empirical. Non-invasive brain stimulation seems to be beneficial for DPD patients.

Further studies are needed to clarify the neurofunctional correlations of each dissociative disorder in affected patients, in order to identify better tailored treatments. Functional changes in other cortical and subcortical areas can be correlated with these diagnoses. Prefrontal dysfunction is frequently reported in dissociative disorders. Other regions, including parietal, temporal, and insular cortices, and subcortical areas were reported to be dysfunctional in dissociative disorders. Another role in DID seems to be played by a dysfunction of the anterior cingulate gyrus. In addition, changes in the functional neural network of the caudate are related to alterations of identity state and maintenance of an altered mental status in DID. Prefrontal cortex dysfunction seems prominent. In the end, we included 13 studies in this systematic review, conducted on 51 patients with dissociative identity disorder (DID), 28 subjects affected by depersonalization disorder, 24 with dissociative amnesia, and 6 with other or not specified dissociative disorders. We searched the PubMed database to identify functional neuroimaging studies conducted on subjects with a diagnosis of a dissociative disorder, following the PRISMA guidelines.

The aim of this review is to identify the main functional neuroimaging correlates of dissociative disorders. Nevertheless, neuroimaging studies, albeit scarce, have suggested the existence of particular brain activation patterns in patients belonging to this diagnostic category. neutral identity states, as well as during within-identity state assessments in patients with DID.ĭissociative disorders encompass loss of integration in essential functions such as memory, consciousness, perception, motor control, and identity. In fact, the cingulate gyrus, right anterior, and middle cingulate cortex seem to hypoactivate in traumatic vs. Notwithstanding, higher severity of the clinical picture directly correlated with better performance, and was accompanied with the hyperactivation of the cingulate gyrus and the precuneus This is consistent with the findings of another study in which DPD patients exhibited greater activation of the anterior cingulate during self-related processing, leading to the hypothesis that egocentric learning and egocentric tasks may be better in dissociative disorders than in healthy controls, due to the fact that dissociative defenses have improved and worked in avoiding the development of PTSD, or more severe psychiatric disorders. Women with dissociative amnesia or DID during an egocentric virtual maze learning task showed preserved attentional visuospatial mnemonic functioning compared with controls.

Depersonalization recovery process