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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Non-Invasive Electrical Brain Stimulation Montages for Modulation of Human Motor Function
Published on: February 4, 2016
Chasing the Chameleon: Psychogenic Paraparesis Responding to Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation
Simona Portaro1, Demetrio Milardi1,2, Antonino Naro1
1IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Messina, Italy.
Abstract:
Neurologic symptoms that develop unconsciously and are incompatible with known pathophysiologic mechanisms or anatomic pathways belong to Conversion Disorder (CD). CD diagnosis is based on the clinical history and the exclusion of physical disorders causing significant distress or social and occupational impairment. In a subgroup of CD, called functional weakness (FW), symptoms affecting limbs may be persistent, thus causing a permanent or transient loss of limb function. Physiotherapy, pharmacotherapy, hypnotherapy and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have been proposed as treatment strategies for FW-CD. Herein, we report a 30 year-old male, presenting with lower limb functional paraparesis, having obtained positive, objectively, and stable effects from a prolonged r-TMS protocol associated to a multidisciplinary approach, including psychological and sexuological counseling, and monitored by gait analysis. We postulate that our rTMS protocol, combined with a multidisciplinary approach may be the proper treatment strategy to improve FW-CD.
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