Action Outcome Latencies as a Measure of Sense of Agency in Functional Movement Disorders.

Functional movement disorders (FMD) are among the most common neurological conditions seen in clinical practice, yet they are poorly understood and often misdiagnosed. Impaired self-agency, the sense of controlling one's actions, is a key feature of FMD. Studies using functional MRI have shown reduced activation and connectivity in the right inferior parietal lobule, a region associated with agency.

The sense of agency consists of two components: the feeling of agency, which is an implicit, low-level sense of control over voluntary actions, and the judgment of agency, which is the conscious attribution of actions to oneself. While the feeling of agency is often measured using intentional binding tasks, judgment of agency is assessed using self-reported scales. While studies have explored intentional binding as a measure of implicit agency in FMD, few have systematically investigated judgment of agency. This study aims to fill this gap by introducing a novel approach that quantitatively evaluates judgment of agency in FMD patients using action-outcome latencies as an objective metric.

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Key information

Conditions

Functional Movement Disorder Conversion Disorder Mental Disorders Somatoform Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University Hospital

London, Ontario, N6A5A5, Canada

About this study

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the differences between patients with FMD and healthy controls in perceiving visual and auditory outcomes as consequences of their actions. This will be assessed by measuring their judgment of agency through action-outcome latencies.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

for patients: Inclusion criteria for patients:

Diagnosed with clinically definite functional movement disorder
Age >18 years.
Able to read and understand English.

Inclusion criteria

for healthy subjects:

Age >18 years.
Able to read and understand English

Exclusion criteria

for patients:

Moderate to severe action tremor in the dominant hand limiting the ability to perform the task.
Upper limb peripheral neuropathy.
Unable to read and understand English.

Exclusion criteria

for healthy subjects:

Unable to read and understand English.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

SA Index

Time frame: Day 1

Latencies values corresponding to positive ("YES") responses will be extracted. SA (Sense of Agency) Index will be computed by multiplying the 90th percentile latencies by the number of positive responses below this latency threshold and then dividing the result by the total number of responses (positive, negative and unsure) occurring below the same threshold.
Latencies

Time frame: Day 1

The 90th percentile of latency values among trials with positive ("YES") responses.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Aditya Murgai, MBBS MD DM

CONTACT

[email protected]

15196633121

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Western University, Canada

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2026
Primary completion: 2028
Study completion: 2028
First posted: Dec 24, 2025
Registry last updated: Jan 21, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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