Clinical trial NCT06439017: Passive Thoughts in Functional Movement Disorders
Official title: Passive Thoughts in Functional Movement Disorders
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Conditions: Functional Movement Disorder
Lead sponsor: Western University, Canada
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-06-03
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Patients diagnosed with a functional movement disorder will be included in the study.

Brief summary: Passive thoughts also known as mind-wandering are the thoughts that are not produced from the current task. When we aren't focused on a task that needs our full attention, our minds tend to drift from one thought to another. It is believed that mind wandering is the baseline or natural state of the mind, and we shift our focus only when needed for a task. Many areas of the brain are active during mind-wandering, and these areas together are called the brain's default network. An important part of this network is the right temporoparietal junction.

Functional movement disorder (FMD) is characterized by unusual movements or walking difficulties that are not caused by a specific brain or nerve injury. Functional movement disorders are believed to be caused due to loss of sense of agency. The sense of agency is the awareness that one is responsible for their own actions. The brain network involved in the sense of agency is mainly located in the right side of the brain, especially in the right temporoparietal junction. In FMD patients, there is decreased connectivity between the right temporoparietal junction and other brain areas that control movement.

Since both passive thoughts (mind wandering) and the sense of agency involve the temporoparietal junction, and because the sense of agency is abnormal in functional movement disorders (FMD), we plan to study passive thoughts in individuals with FMD. The study aims to find out how passive thoughts differ between individuals with FMD and healthy individuals. Passive thoughts will be measured using Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS).

Detailed description: To evaluate passive thoughts in functional movement disorders (FMD), we will collect data from 30 FMD patients and 30 healthy controls. Patients will be recruited from the movement disorders clinic and the integrated functional movement disorders clinic at LHSC. Both groups will be asked to complete the paper-based Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS) to evaluate passive thoughts. Additionally, FMD patients will complete the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), a 36-item self-administered questionnaire designed to measure disability over the past 30 days. Completing both questionnaires will take approximately 15-20 minutes. The questionnaires will be completed once.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria for cases:

1. Diagnosed with a functional movement disorder by the neurologist.
2. Able to understand and read English.

Exclusion criteria for cases:

1. Unable to understand and read English.
2. Diagnosed with dementia.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Passive thoughts questionnaire
timeFrame: Day 1
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: London
country: Canada
facility: Aditya Murgai
state: Ontario
Study officials:
References: