Clinical trial NCT04942600: Behavioural and Electrophysiological Effects of rTMS in Functional Neurological Disorders
Official title: Assessing the Behavioural and Electrophysiological Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on "Intention" vs "Overt Action" in Patients With Functional Neurological Disorders
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Functional Neurological Disorder
Lead sponsor: University of Manitoba
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Winnipeg
First posted: 2021-06-28
Enrollment: 19
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to better understand Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) by measuring movement timing and brain activity in patients with FND during deliberate movements and when expressing an 'intention' to move. This investigation will use non-invasive brain stimulation to investigate the role of the temporal-occipital-parietal junction in FND.

Detailed description: This study seeks to improve our neurophysiological understanding of Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) by measuring movement timing and brain activity while individuals with FND perform a simple pointing task.

Behavioural (timing of arm and finger movement) and electrophysiological (electroencephalography; EEG) measures will be collected both at rest and while participants perform a voluntary movement task designed to discriminate between brain events related to intention vs. overt action.

Furthermore, this study will investigate the ability of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to alter brain activity in the temporal-occipital-parietal junction (TPJ), a region known to be hypo-active in individuals with FND. Tasks and cortical recordings will be repeated following rTMS to determine the effect of brain stimulation on behaviour and brain activity.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Confirmed diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder with motor symptoms.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Presence of another comorbid psychiatric disorder;
* Any contraindication for rTMS (e.g., implanted metal devices; cardiac pacemaker or pacemaker wires; neurostimulators; implanted pumps, metal in the body \[rods, plates, screws, shrapnel, dentures, IUD\] or metallic particles in the body, surgical clips in the head, previous neurosurgery, cochlear implants, prosthetic heart valves);
* Currently pregnant.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in relative timing of intention-to-act vs action production
timeFrame: 1 hour: Immediately prior to and following one session of rTMS
measure: Change in resting state activity in temporal-parietal junction brain region
timeFrame: 1 hour: Immediately prior to and following one session of rTMS
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in brain activity related to 'intention to act'
timeFrame: 1 hour: Immediately prior to and following one session of rTMS
measure: Change in brain activity related to motor production
timeFrame: 1 hour: Immediately prior to and following one session of rTMS
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Winnipeg
country: Canada
facility: St. Boniface Hospital
state: Manitoba
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Winnipeg
name: Bruce Bolster, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of Manitoba
name: Mandana Modirrousta, MD PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: