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MODIFI: protocol for randomised feasibility study of eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for functional neurological disorder (FND)

Cope, SR; Smith, JG; El-Leithy, S; Vanzan, S; Pentland, C; Pick, S; Golder, D; ... Edwards, MJ; + view all (2023) MODIFI: protocol for randomised feasibility study of eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for functional neurological disorder (FND). BMJ Open , 13 (6) , Article e073727. 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073727. Green open access

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Functional neurological disorder (FND) refers to an involuntary loss of control over and/or aberrant perception of the body. Common presenting symptoms are functional (non-epileptic) seizures, and functional motor disorder, for example, walking difficulties, weakness or tremor. Greater access to effective treatments would lead to reduced distress and disability; and reduce unnecessary healthcare costs.This study will examine eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) as a treatment for FND. EMDR is an evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but its use for other conditions is growing. An FND-specific EMDR protocol will be tested, and if the intervention proves feasible with promising clinical outcomes, progression to a substantive study could take place. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Fifty adult patients diagnosed with FND will be recruited. It will be a single-blind randomised controlled trial with two arms: EMDR (plus standard neuropsychiatric care; NPC) and standard NPC. The two groups will be compared at baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2) and 9 months (T3). Measures of feasibility include safety, recruitment, retention, treatment adherence and acceptability. Clinical outcome measures will assess health-related functioning/quality of life, ratings of FND symptoms and severity, depression, anxiety, PTSD, dissociation, service utilisation and other costs. Improvement and satisfaction ratings will also be assessed. Feasibility outcomes will be summarised using descriptive statistics. Exploratory analyses using (linear/logistic) mixed-effect models will examine the rate of change in the groups' clinical outcome measures across the four time-points.After the intervention period, a sample of participants, and clinicians, will be invited to attend semistructured interviews. The interviews will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the NHS West Midlands-Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee. Study findings will be published in open access peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences, and communicated to participants and other relevant stakeholders. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05455450 (www.gov).

Type: Article
Title: MODIFI: protocol for randomised feasibility study of eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for functional neurological disorder (FND)
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073727
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073727
Language: English
Additional information: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: Adult psychiatry, clinical trials, neurology, Adult, Humans, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Feasibility Studies, Quality of Life, Single-Blind Method, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Conversion Disorder, Treatment Outcome, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry > Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10172008
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