ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT04310670FNDUpdated Mar 29, 2024

Integrated Treatment in FND (Functional Neurological Disorders)

An interventional study of Psychotherapy and Physiotherapy in Functional Neurological Disorder, sponsored by Neuromed IRCCS. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-03-29.

Sponsored by Neuromed IRCCS · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Oct 2024, 2 years 1 month ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Sep 2020; still recruiting 6 years 2 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The project will investigate the effectiveness of patient-centered integrated treatment.

The correlations between physiotherapy indices, non-invasive brain stimulation, connectivity and psychological support will be analyzed.

Read the detailed description

At the time of recruitment (T0) a multidimensional evaluation will be performed consisting of clinical, neuropsychological, neurophysiological, MRI, data obtained from peripheral blood sampling (10ml). After completing the program (12 weeks), the effect will be assessed according to objectives (T1). The study will also include a follow-up evaluation after 6 months (T2) and 12 months (T3) from the beginning of the treatment to evaluate the persistence of the beneficial effects after some time.

02

Conditions studied

  • Functional Neurological Disorder

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • FND
  • physiotherapy
  • psychotherapy
  • non-invasive brain stimulation
03

In context

Conversion Disorder

89 studies on the registry are indexed under Conversion Disorder; 34 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 38 across 51 interventional studies indexed under Conversion Disorder.

Browse Conversion Disorder studies →

Lead sponsor

Neuromed IRCCS is the lead sponsor of 81 studies on the registry; 25 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Ability to provide written
  • Diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder of movement clinically established according to criteria
  • Age between 18 and 65 years (inclusive)
  • Ability to participate in the study protocol

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to provide written
  • Pregnant women
  • In case of use of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques: the subjects must not present any of the specific to this method (for further specifications see the "Methods" and the "Stimulation Evaluation Questionnaire" attached to this proposal)
  • Presence of unstable clinical conditions or infections
  • In the case of the use of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques: concomitant use of drugs that can alter the transmission and synaptic plasticity (cannabinoids, L-dopa, antiepileptics, nicotine, baclofen, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), botulinum toxin)
  • Inability to support physiotherapy or psychotherapy sessions
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

DSM diagnostic criteria

The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Patients with FND

    Diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder of movement clinically established according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 criteria

    Other: Psychotherapy · Behavioral: Physiotherapy · Other: Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS)

Interventions

  • OtherPsychotherapy

    The patient will be treated according to Lacanian psychoanalytic ethics, which allows to adequately respond to the patient's request for healing but who at the same time does not ignore the progress of scientific research in the neurological field

  • BehavioralPhysiotherapy

    Physiotherapy treatment will be articulated through the use of techniques designed to qualify the functionality of the subject divided by symptom: weakness, dystonic attitudes of the limbs, walking disorders, tremor.

  • OtherNon-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS)

    Diversified transcranial electrical maneuver protocols with an "on-line" or "off-line" approach may be applied for therapeutic purposes. This will include: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), random noise stimulation (tRNS).

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes and improvement in clinical condition

    the Clinical global impression scale will be used. It is a brief 3-item observer-rated scale that assess severity of illness with assignable scores ranging from 0 to 7 (at every time time point), the global improvement with assignable scores ranging from 0 to 7 (from the second time point), and the efficacy index with assignable scores ranging from 1 to 16 (relationship between therapeutic efficacy and undesirable effects). Higher scores on these scales mean a worse outcome.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  2. Changes in quality of life

    The Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36) will be used. It is a generic, multidimensional tool, consisting of 36 questions that can be divided into 8 scales (Physical functioning, limitations due to physical health, limitations due to emotional problems, energy and fatigue, emotional well-being, social activities, pain, general health perception) expressed as percentage values 0-100%. Higher scores on these scales mean a better quality of life.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  3. Changes in executive functions and attention - step 1

    Will be used the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, which measures the processing speed, in the oral version of this test (Nocentini et al., 2006). The assignable performance's scores ranging from 0 to 110. The cut-off for normality in italian population for this oral version was 34.2. Higher scores on these scales mean a better processing speed.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  4. Changes in executive functions and attention - step 2

    Stroop test

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  5. Changes in neuroplasticity

    Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) will be used to evaluate the change of neuronal plasticity in a subgroup of patients who will not present contraindications to the method. The TMS uses short-lived magnetic fields and high intensity applied at the scalp level to activate the neurons of a small region of the cerebral cortex through an electromagnetic induction. When these impulses are applied repeatedly, it is possible to induce plastic modification of cortical excitability. Any increase or decrease in amplitude, which persists after the end of TMS repetitive stimulation, indicates that there have been changes in the cortical, long term potentiation (LTP) or depression (LTD).

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  6. Evaluation of genetic polymorphisms

    A blood sample (10 ml) will be collected to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms related to patients' neuronal plasticity can be related to the response to the protocol.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in behavioral aspects - step 1

    State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y (STAI-Y). The STAI-Y is a self-report questionnaire consisting of two 20-item scales providing separate measures of state and trait anxiety, on a 4-point Likert scale, with scores ranges from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating more severe outcome.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  2. Changes in behavioral aspects - step 2

    Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition (BDI-II). BDI-II is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 21-item self-report scale designed to measure the severity of depressive symptoms, on a 4-point Likert scale, with scores ranges from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating more severe outcome.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

  3. Changes in behavioral aspects - step 3

    Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). TAS-20 is a self-report questionnaire scale designed to measure alexithymia, on a 5-point Likert scale, with scores ranges from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe outcome.

    Time frame: 1-12 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • I.R.C.C.S. NEUROMED Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo
    Pozzilli, Isernia 86077, Italy
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Galli S, Bereau M, Magnin E, Moulin T, Aybek S. Functional movement disorders. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2020 May;176(4):244-251. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2019.08.007. Epub 2019 Oct 9. PubMed 31606137 ↗
  • O'Neal MA, Baslet G. Treatment for Patients With a Functional Neurological Disorder (Conversion Disorder): An Integrated Approach. Am J Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 1;175(4):307-314. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17040450. No abstract available. PubMed 29606068 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 29, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04310670
Lead sponsor
Neuromed IRCCS
Responsible party
Diego Centonze (Professor, Neuromed IRCCS) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 17, 2020
Start date
Sep 4, 2020
Primary completion
Oct 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 29, 2024

Study contacts

Diego Centonze, MD
Contact
ambulatoriodnf.neuromed@gmail.com
+390865929250
Mario Stampanoni Bassi, MD
Contact
mario_sb@hotmail.it
+39 3460181370
Diego Centonze
principal investigator · IRCCS Neuromed

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion