Authors :
Presenting Author: Lorna Myers, PhD – Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group
Lenka Kramska, Ph.D. – Nemocnice Na Homolce
Carlina Leon, MS – Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group
Kirsty Bortnik, PhD, ABPP-CN – OC Neuropsych
Robert Troblliger, Ph.D. – Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group
Rationale:
It is not uncommon for patients diagnosed with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) to be suspected of feigning their symptoms and impairments. Research has produced variable results. Krámská et al reported that 10% of a sample demonstrated insufficient effort and Drane reported that patients with somatoform disorders had more variable effort than controls. On the other hand, Cragar found similar failure rates for at least one measure of effort among epilepsy and PNES groups (22% and 24%, respectively). Assessing effort among patients with PNES through embedded performance validity testing can address related concerns regarding the utility of neuropsychological data and the possibility of secondary gain.
We hypothesized that patients with PNES who requested disability benefits would demonstrate worse performance on performance validity testing therefore suggesting potential enhancement of incapacity.Methods:
A data set of 122 patients with PNES at the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group (2020 to 2025) was examined. Diagnoses were confirmed through VEEG testing. Exclusion criteria: 1) dual PNES and epilepsy diagnosis; and 2) younger than 18 years. Neuropsychological testing records were reviewed, including: Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) (cutoff < 45 Trial 1 & 2), Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS) Logical Memory weighted combination score (cutoff <