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Clinical Practice (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, knowledge translation/EBP, implementation science, program development)
Neuroplasticity (includes neuroscience)
Cross-Cutting
Special Symposium
Victor Mark, MD
Associate Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
David Perez, MD, MMSc
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
Kathrin LaFaver, MD, FAAN
Associate Professor of Neurology
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a common but undertreated and widely misunderstood disabling illness. However, recent research has suggested the combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and symptom-oriented physical rehabilitation may be efficacious. This Special Symposium will begin by reviewing the historical background and neuroscientific evidence of disease mechanisms of FND. Next, we will describe the structure of an FND clinic. This will detail the rehabilitation physician’s role for assessing for possible FND, ruling out false-positive diagnoses, and presenting and explaining the diagnosis. Finally, the role of CBT coupled with physical rehabilitation and recent clinical study outcomes will be reviewed.