Clinical Research Directory

Feasibility of Remotely Measured Activity Behavior for Individuals With Functional Neurologic Disorder

This study evaluates whether remotely measured daily activity behavior, captured through a thigh-worn accelerometer, can serve as a reliable and ecologically valid indicator of symptom impact in individuals with Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND). Current clinician-rated assessments capture only a single time point and do not reflect day-to-day symptom variability or functional impact. The study will (1) assess the feasibility of continuous activity monitoring in people with FND, (2) examine associations between activity behavior and established clinician- and patient-reported FND measures, and (3) qualitatively explore participants' lived experiences of daily activity. Findings aim to address a critical gap in understanding real-world function in this heterogeneous population.

Dance/Movement Therapy for Functional Neurological Disorder

Building on evidence for somatic or physical interventions in functional neurological disorder (FND), the goal of this study is to test the feasibility of a structured dance/movement task in individuals with FND, and explore the potential use of somatic or body-based therapies in this population. The primary study outcomes will be the feasibility and acceptability of a structured dance/movement therapy (DMT) intervention for individuals diagnosed with FND. The study will also explore whether this type of intervention has potential to contribute to elevating trust in the body and general wellbeing, alongside reducing functional neurological and dissociative symptoms. Researchers will compare structured dance/movement therapy to a physical exercise/body coordination condition.

Psilocybin in Functional Neurological Disorder

The goal of this study is to learn about the brain network response in people who have functional neurological disorder who are administered with a single dose of the psychedelic psilocybin with therapeutic support. The main question it aims to answer is: Can the default mode network, a brain network thought to be relevent in FND, be modified by the administration of psilocybin based on functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after the dose?

Establishment of an Interdisciplinary Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Treatment Program and Development of a Clinical Care Pathway for FND

The purpose of this study is to help providers develop an interdisciplinary treatment pathway for functional neurological disorder (FND) at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and will involve psychiatry, speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The study will also help providers to evaluate the treatment pathway and publish results regarding the process and outcomes.

Additive Effects of Interoceptive Training to Physiotherapy in Functional Movement Disorders (interoPTfmd)

Functional movement disorder (FMD) is a common source of neurological disability that imposes a significant financial burden on healthcare systems. However, the heterogeneous manifestations of FMD and numerous associated non-motor symptoms, often fluctuating over time, present a challenge for developing effective treatment pathways. Although increasing evidence supports the efficacy of physiotherapy for FMD, the lack of predictors of treatment outcomes remains a significant obstacle to effectively managing FMD. The main hypothesis of this project is that abnormalities in interoceptive processing are responsible for variability in motor and non-motor symptoms and response to physiotherapy. Interoception describes the afferent signalling, central processing, and mental representation of internal bodily signals. We hypothesize that worse performance on interoceptive tests will be associated with greater severity of motor and non-motor symptoms and worse quality of life. We also expect that patients with worse interoceptive performance and associated non-motor symptoms such as pain will particularly benefit from treatment techniques modulating interoception, such as specific breathing techniques. Therefore, to test our hypotheses, in this project, we will study interoceptive and attentional abnormalities of FMD and identify predictors of the effect of physiotherapy and interoceptive respiratory training.

The Feasibility and Acceptability of an Online Yoga Program for People With Functional Neurological Disorders

This is a feasibility study to see if it is acceptable and helpful for people living with a functional neurological disorder to receive online group yoga sessions to improve their wellbeing

Brain-computer Interface Rehabilitation And Virtual Environments in Functional Neurological Disorder (BRAVE-FND)

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a course of rehabilitation using a device called a brain-computer interface can change the level of control people feel over bodily movements, in functional neurological disorder.

Pilot Neurobehavioral Therapy for Functional Neurological Disorder

The goal of this pilot randomized clinical trial is to learn if Neurobehavioral Therapy (NBT) works to treat motor functional neurological disorder (mFND) (also referred to as functional motor disorder). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does NBT lower mFND symptoms? * Does NBT lower common co-occurring symptoms and improve functioning? Researchers will compare NBT to standard medical care (SMC). Participants will be randomized to receive either: * 12 weekly sessions of NBT, along with their SMC, * or continue receiving their SMC as provided by their treating clinicians. * all participants. regardless of group assignment, will complete a total of five in-clinic visits at the following time points: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 8 Months and 12 Months for self-report surveys to assess functional status, quality of life and mFND symptoms.

The NRC Dataset. Developing a Minimum Dataset for Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation: a Modified E-Delphi Study

Several rehabilitation datasets are presently in use for specific patient groups in England. The 'National Clinical Audit of Specialist Rehabilitation for patients with complex needs following major injury' (NCASRI) evaluated outcomes within a cohort of Major Trauma patients between 2015 and 2018 using data from two of these datasets. The NCASRI project outlined some of the shortcomings of the pre-existing datasets and highlighted the need for a single National Rehabilitation Dataset to provide long term evaluation of a variety of patient presentations. The proposed study will seek to develop such a dataset by means of an E-delphi study. This study will seek consensus from a panel of experts on the data items required to measure the effectiveness and socio-economic impact of multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation. Providing commissioners, researchers and clinicians with the data required to improve patient care, conduct research and develop rehabilitation services. There are three potential phases to this study: * Phase one involves the establishment of a core domain set, outlining what information (data) should be included in the NRC core dataset. * Phase one will consist of at least 2 rounds of voting, with successive rounds of voting undertaken until an a-priori consensus of 70% is reached for all core data items marked as mandatory/critical data in fitting OMERACT guidelines. * After 2 rounds, any data item that have reached consensus will be included in the final dataset. These core domain (data items) will then be excluded from subsequent rounds of voting. * A maximum of 4 rounds will be allowed in Phase 1. At which point the highest-ranking data items remaining with a consensus above 60% from each of the pre-identified categories will be included in the final dataset. * Phase two will explore what tools should be used to collect the core domains (outcome measure instruments) for each category outlined in phase 1. * Phase 2 will follow the same protocol for including outcome measure instruments into the core outcome set as were required to include core data items from phase 1. * If a consensus of equal or greater than 60% cannot be reached using an E-Delphi method in either phase 1 or phase 2 then a virtual meeting will be held amongst all expert panel members to reach consensus using a nominal group technique (phase 3).

Clinical Evaluation of HRV Biofeedback in Functional Neurological Disorders Compared to Placebo

Evaluation of the clinical effects of the Heart Rate Variability biofeedback training with patients suffering from Functional neurological Disorders compared with placebo.

Tremor Retrainer Software Application for Functional Tremor

The purpose of this clinical trial is to learn about the Tremor Retrainer smartphone application and Simplified Functional Movement Disorder Rating Scale in patients with functional tremor. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1. Is the Tremor Retrainer application usable for patients and are there signs that it can help functional tremor? 2. Can a televideo administration of the Simplified Functional Movement Disorder Rating Scale give enough information to use this scale via televideo in future studies?