Embodied Virtual Reality Therapy for Functional Neurological Symptom/ Conversion Disorder (VR4FND)

Stanford University

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Non-epileptic Seizures; Psychogenic Movement Disorder; Functional Movement Disorder; Functional Neurological Disorder; Conversion Disorder

Treatments: Other: Virtual reality; Other: Embodied Virtual Reality Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02764476

36842

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to design and test the safety and feasibility of virtual reality technologies and experiences of egocentric avatar embodiment in the application of physical and cognitive behavior therapy in functional neurological symptom/conversion disorder. Investigators hypothesize that patients will safely use and accept this modality of treatment and will show evidence of a decrease in symptom frequency.

Full description

This is a treatment development trial, participants randomly assigned to active treatment will be enrolled in embodied Virtual Reality therapy. The therapy will be based on principals of exposure and behavioral shaping therapies and mirror visual feedback therapy. The therapy will be delivered over 8 sessions and modified as indicated by clinical feedback. A fixed protocol will be developed with exact methods to be used to be determined. After a fixed protocol has been established, a treatment manual will be created to use in further controlled trials.

Enrollment: 15 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adults 18-65 years, who are diagnosed with functional neurologic symptom or conversion disorder. If diagnosis of seizure type then video EEG with diagnosis confirmed by board-certified neurologist with subspecialty training in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology using the criteria of the International Classification of the Epilepsies is required. If diagnosis of motor type, documented and clinically established levels of diagnostic certainty (Williams,1995) confirmed by 2 neurologists is required.
• Participants must have at least one symptom per month in the month prior to enrollment
• Fluency in English spoken language

Exclusion criteria

• Nonfluency or inability to communicate in English spoken language
• Inability to participate or attend biweekly 30 minute session over 14 weeks
• Frank psychosis
• Active self harm urges
• Serious medical illness
• Active substance or alcohol use or dependence that could interfere with participation
• Diagnoses of mental retardation, dementia or delirium
• Pregnant women

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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15 participants in 2 patient groups

Virtual Reality Therapy

Experimental group

Description:

Eight 30 minute sessions of embodied virtual reality therapy with use of a body transfer experience into an egocentric perspective avatar that encourages motor activity and desensitization to emotional cues.

Treatment:

Other: Embodied Virtual Reality Therapy

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Eight 30 minute sessions of virtual reality therapy.

Treatment:

Other: Virtual reality