An interventional study of Stimulation-Enhanced Physical Therapy and Active Comparator in Functional Neurological Disorder and Conversion Disorder, sponsored by University of Auckland, New Zealand. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in New Zealand. Open to participants aged 21 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-18.
Sponsored by University of Auckland, New Zealand · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this clinical trial is to test a new treatment for adults with walking problems due to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
The main question the trial aims to answer is:
- Is stimulation-enhanced physical therapy an effective treatment for walking problems due to FND?
Researchers will compare the stimulation-enhanced physical therapy to gold-standard physical therapy.
Participants will:
This clinical trial is for people who have difficulty walking because their movement is affected by Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). The trial is testing a new treatment strategy that uses non-invasive brain stimulation to prepare the brain for specialist physical therapy. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Both groups will complete three in-person sessions on three consecutive days. Participants in the treatment group have non-invasive brain stimulation, followed by specialist physical therapy. Participants in the comparison group have goal-setting and mental practice, followed by specialist physical therapy. Participants complete follow-up assessments by video call at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after treatment, to evaluate their walking and balance. Participants are also asked to complete some simple online questionnaires at these follow-up time points. All assessments of walking and balance are carried out by a researcher who is unaware of which group the participant has been assigned to.
89 studies on the registry are indexed under Conversion Disorder; 34 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is above the median of 38 across 51 interventional studies indexed under Conversion Disorder.
Browse Conversion Disorder studies →University of Auckland, New Zealand is the lead sponsor of 57 studies on the registry; 13 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants complete baseline assessments up to 7 days prior to the first treatment day. On the first treatment day participants meet with their treating team to review their current symptoms and discuss FND to ensure they understand the condition. On the second treatment day the treating team delivers the experimental intervention. The primary outcome measure is obtained at the end of this session by the blinded clinical assessor. On the third treatment day the treating team discusses ongoing self-management with the participant.
Combination Product: Stimulation-Enhanced Physical Therapy
Participants complete baseline assessments up to 7 days prior to the first treatment day. On the first treatment day participants meet with their treating team to review their current symptoms and discuss FND to ensure they understand the condition. On the second treatment day the treating team delivers the active comparator intervention. The primary outcome measure is obtained at the end of this session by the blinded clinical assessor. On the third treatment day the treating team discusses ongoing self-management with the participant.
Other: Active Comparator
The intervention uses Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to activate the motor pathways from the primary motor cortex to affected lower limb muscles. This is followed by specialist physical therapy applying consensus recommendations for the treatment of movement symptoms due to FND. Key elements include distraction, momentum, and exploratory movement.
The active comparator uses structured goal-setting and movement imagery to prepare for physical therapy. This is followed by specialist physical therapy applying consensus recommendations for the treatment of movement symptoms due to FND. Key elements include distraction, momentum, and progressive movement retraining.
Odds of achieving effective treatment defined as a Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) score of at least 24 out of 28.
The Tinetti POMA is a reliable and valid assessment for use with a broad range of neurological conditions, with excellent interrater reliability. It evaluates key symptom domains of gait, trunk stability, and postural balance. The minimum and worst score is zero. The maximum and best score is 28. The odds ratio for achieving effective treatment will be calculated for the treatment group relative to the control group.
Time frame: From enrolment until the Tinetti POMA score is evaluated immediately upon completion of treatment on day zero.
Functional Movement Disorder Questionnaire (FMDQ)
The FMDQ is a summed severity and impact questionnaire in which participants rate the presence and severity of functional movement symptoms across multiple domains. Each item is scored on a Likert type scale, and a total score (range 31-181) is calculated, with higher scores indicating greater functional symptom burden.
Time frame: Baseline, 30 days and 90 days post-treatment.
EQ-5D-5L
The EQ-5D-5L is a self-reported questionnaire of quality of life that is validated for general and neurological populations. The EQ-5D-5L assesses five key dimensions of health and using a 5-point Likert scale. An index score is derived from the combination of individual domain ratings using a country-specific value set which reflects societal preferences for different health states.
Time frame: Baseline, 30 days post-treatment, and 90 days post-treatment.
Tinetti POMA score during follow-up
The Tinetti POMA score will be obtained via video call during the follow-up period. It evaluates key symptom domains of gait, trunk stability, and postural balance. The minimum and worst score is zero. The maximum and best score is 28.
Time frame: 7 days, 30 days and 90 days post-treatment.
Walking independence
Walking independence will be evaluated with the Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), which is a valid and reliable measure of a person's level of independence in mobility and walking. The lowest and worst score is zero, meaning fully dependent. The highest and best score is 5, meaning fully independent walking. Participants will be classified as independent if they have a FAC score of 4 or 5 out of 5. Participants will be classified as dependent if they have a FAC score of 0, 1, 2 or 3.
Time frame: Baseline, day -1 before treatment, day zero of treatment, and day 1 post-treatment, and at 7 days, 30 days and 90 days post-treatment.
Simplified Functional Movement Disorders Rating Scale (S-FMDRS)
The S-FMDRS is a clinician-rated score of overall functional movement symptom severity. The assessor will video the assessment to support their review and scoring accuracy. A total score out of 54 is recorded with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Time frame: Day -1 before treatment, day zero of treatment, and day 1 post-treatment.
Lower limb strength
Total lower limb strength score will be calculated by summing the Medical Research Council grades for knee flexion, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion, and ankle plantarflexion for each limb. The summed bilateral score will be used for analysis of between-group effects. The minimum and worst score is zero, the maximum and best score is 40.
Time frame: Day -1 before treatment, day zero of treatment, and day 1 post-treatment.
Light touch sensation
Lower limb sensation will be assessed using Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. With vision occluded, participants will be asked to indicate detection of progressively smaller filament sizes applied perpendicularly to the plantar surface of the great toe until the smallest reliably perceived filament is identified. Lower filament scores indicate better light touch sensation.
Time frame: Day -1 before treatment and day 1 post-treatment.
Patient Global Impression of Improvement
The Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale is a patient-reported measure used to evaluate participants' overall impression of change following treatment. The lowest score is zero, meaning "very much worse", and the highest score is 7, meaning "very much improved".
Time frame: Day zero after treatment and at 90 days post-treatment.
Upper limb performance
The Box and Blocks Test is a timed test of upper limb motor performance. It will be used to evaluate the more-affected upper limb of participants who report upper limb functional symptoms. More blocks moved in 60 seconds indicates better upper limb motor performance.
Time frame: Day -1 before treatment, day zero of treatment, and day 1 post-treatment.
Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ)
The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) is a patient-reported measure of illness perception. Each of eight items is scored individually on a 0 to 10 scale. Higher scores indicate a more threatening or negative perception.
Time frame: Baseline and 90 days post-treatment.
Pain Interference
The PROMIS Pain Interference Short Form is a patient-reported measure of how much pain has interfered with daily activities over the past 7 days. The scale has 8 items, each rated on a 5-point scale with the lowest score of zero meaning "not at all", and the highest score of 5 meaning "very much".
Time frame: Baseline, and 7 days, 30 days and 90 days post-treatment.
Fatigue Interference
The PROMIS Fatigue Interference Short Form is a patient-reported measure of how much pain has interfered with daily activities over the past 7 days. The scale has 8 items, each rated on a 5-point scale with the lowest score of zero meaning "not at all", and the highest score of 5 meaning "very much".
Time frame: Baseline, and 7 days, 30 days and 90 days post-treatment.
Self-rated Function
The Patient-Specific Functional Scale is an evaluation of participant-identified functional limitations. Participants nominate up to 3 activities they are currently unable to perform, or have difficulty performing, due to their symptoms. Each activity is rated on an 11-point scale from zero meaning 'unable to perform' to 10 meaning 'able to perform at prior level'.
Time frame: Baseline and 90 days post-treatment.
Treatment readiness
Treating clinicians will independently rate participant readiness to progress using a simple 4-point Likert scale, where zero means "definitely not ready" and 4 means "definitely ready".
Time frame: Day -1 before treatment and day zero of treatment.
Employment status
Participation in paid work or employment will be evaluated by asking participants to provide the average number of hours worked per week over the past 6 months. They will be asked to rate their perceived ability to work on a Likert scale, with a minimum score of zero meaning no ability to work, and a maximum score of 10 meaning able to fully participate in work.
Time frame: Baseline and 90-days post-treatment.
Plan to share: Yes — De-identified IPD that underlie the study's published results will be shared.
Supporting information: Informed consent form
Time frame: Beginning 1 year after publication of results and ending 3 years after publication of results.
Access criteria: Researchers who wish to access the data and supporting information will be invited to contact the investigators directly and to submit a proposal for their planned use of the data that includes an independently reviewed statistical analysis plan. If the proposal is methodologically sound and approved by the investigators then a data sharing agreement will need to be in place prior to the data being released.
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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Auckland, New Zealand