How to approach functional disorders through the lens of interoception

Hugo Critchley is the Professor of Psychiatry at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and head of the BSMS Department of Neuroscience. Since 2010, he has co-directed the University of Sussex Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science with Prof Anil Seth. Hugo’s research focuses on body-brain interaction in health and across psychiatric disorders. Clinically, Hugo is a neuropsychiatrist and works within a clinical service for adults with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, ADHD and tic disorders.

Hugo trained in Physiology and Medicine at the University of Liverpool before completing a Doctorate in Psychological Studies at the University of Oxford. He combined research with psychiatry/neuropsychiatry training at the KCL Institute of Psychiatry then through fellowships held at the UCL Institute of Neurology, where he developed expertise in neuroimaging and clinical autonomic science. Hugo moved from to Sussex as (foundation) Professor of Psychiatry at BSMS in 2006.

Follow Hugo on Twitter:  @CritchleyHugo

Professor Edwards is Professor of Neurology at St George’s University of London and The Atkinson Morley Regional Neuroscience Service at St George’s University Hospital. He has a specialist clinical and research interest in Movement Disorders and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).

He did his PhD with Professor John Rothwell and Professor Kailash Bhatia at the UCL Institute of Neurology, studying the pathophysiology of genetic dystonia. During this period he was involved with the development of a novel and now a widely used technique for transcranial magnetic stimulation: theta burst stimulation. Following completion of neurology training, he became a Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at UCL and the National Hospital for Neurology. Here he developed an NIHR funded research program and specialist diagnostic and treatment service for patients with FND. After moving to St George’s in 2015 he expanded this work to develop one of the first integrated diagnostic and treatment services for FND alongside continued research work into the pathophysiology of the disorder and development and testing of novel treatments, including the first randomised trial of specialist physiotherapy for functional movement disorders. He is also an active part of the specialist movement disorders and deep brain stimulation team at the Atkinson Morley Regional Neuroscience Centre and continues electrophysiological and psychophysical research work into the pathophysiology and treatment of movement disorders in general.

He has published over 300 peer-reviewed publications and is the author of the Oxford Specialist Handbook of Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders. He is President of the Association of British Neurology Movement Disorders Group, International Executive Committee member of the International Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Society, Board and Founding Member of the Functional Neurological Disorder Society, Associate Editor of the European Journal of Neurology, and medical advisor for FNDHope, the UK Dystonia Society and the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine.