Dr Kate Johnson is a neurologist in Adelaide, South Australia. She is a student in the degree Masters of Neurology (distance learning) via UCL and is conducting a project on psychoeducation in FND, comprising a systematic review of the literature and "snowball sampling" to find the resources that may not be formally published, which doctors and health care workers are using on a daily basis with their patients. She is hoping to develop a tool for Neurologists to use with their patients, for which she will seek feedback from doctors and patients. This project is supervised by Dr Caroline Selai (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/study/education-team-contacts/dr-caroline-selai) and Dr Michael Moutoussis (https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/36080-michael-moutoussis) and will be due for completion August 2024. Dr Johnson is sharing this form in the hope that people will share the resources they use. All sources will be formally referenced in  the project and any publications that result. The details requested in the form are for referencing purposes so she has left these optional. If you wish for further clarification please contact her at kate.johnson.20@ucl.ac.uk

This research is trying to better understand how stress affects women who experience Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Specifically, this study includes only those assigned female at birth because it investigates sex-specific physiological mechanisms related to stress. FND is a common condition where people experience symptoms like seizures, weakness, or movement difficulties that are not explained by problems in the structure of the brain. We know that stress can play a role in FND, but we still do not fully understand how stress affects symptoms in daily life or how stress may affect brain functioning. This research aims to learn more about how stress responses work in women with FND by looking at patterns of stress in daily life, how these experiences relate to symptoms, and what is happening in the brain during this time. The findings from this research may help improve understanding of FND and guide future treatments and support for people living with this condition.

Functional Neurological disorder (FND) refers to a neurological condition caused by changes in how brain networks work rather than changes in the brain structure. This can cause symptoms such as seizure- like episodes, movement disorders, cognitive dysfunction, dizziness, speech and language deficits, slowness, fatigue and pain. It can be an acute or recurring condition, with some individuals with FND re-presenting to hospital after their first episode and diagnosis (Drane et al., 2021). To date, there is limited research in the assessment and treatment of FND with preliminary reviews recommending further high-quality research and collaboration amongst health professionals. While we know that approaches that consider the whole person and have a biopsychosocial focus are showing promise, little is known about how to do this. It is also challenging to adequately apply what is currently known as staff are not always suitably skilled and trained to do this. Without appropriate community intervention, patients have poorer outcomes including increased hospital length of stay and reliance on health services, higher rates of readmission, increased dependence within their daily activities and reduced meaningful community participation. This project aims to explore how health professionals, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists, work with patients who have Functional Neurological Disorders. We are interested in all aspects of the care pathway from referral to assessment, intervention, and outcomes. Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) has approved this study (HREC number HRE2025-0367). If you are interested in participating in the research or would like to find out more, you can contact Dr Rebecca Waters by email at r.waters2@curtin.edu.au or by phone on (08) 9266 1679.