Functional disorders, including Functional neurological disorder (FND), is one of the commonest reason for patients to see a neurologist. They relate to a disorder of nervous system functioning rather than the kind of brain disease you can see on a scan. FND includes problems such as functional (dissociative) seizures, functional movement disorders (such as tremors, spasms or jerks) and functional limb weakness. It is a common cause of disability in young adults. Other terms used to describe these hidden and stigmatised disorders include conversion disorder and psychogenic disorder.The Edinburgh team carries out clinical research on a wide range of functional disorders and especially FND, looking at how common they are, why and how they happen and testing the effectiveness of physical and psychological treatments in large multicentre randomised trials. Our approach is one that encompasses neurology and psychiatry equally. In recent years we have been especially interested in exploring new phenotypes of FND, especially related to cognitive and bladder symptoms. We are also carrying out research investigating Long Covid which encompasses detailed investigations using brain imaging, genetics and spinal fluid examination. Professors Carson and Stone started the international FND Society which promotes multidisciplinary collaborative research and education in this area.UoE researchers who work in this area include:Professor Alan CarsonProfessor Jon StoneUseful web linksNeurosymptoms FND GuideUniversity of Edinburgh Functional Disorders home page FND Society Return to 'Our Research' overview page This article was published on 2024-12-11
