An 11-year-old child, presents an inability to walk immediately after a fall from a fast moving toboggan-sledge. After 10 days of evolution there was still no recovery. All examinations were normal. Diagnosis of neurological functional disorder. No other / prior history.

Muscle strength deficit of the lower limbs. He had the impression he could not properly feel them. Cannot put one foot in front of the other, even if supported (see Video 1).

This observation dates from 1998. Only Large Field transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied (60 shocks at 1 Hz). There was an immediate improvement. He was able to walk and run and he felt his legs normally again (see video 2).


Video 2

In this type of "simple" situation, without associated psychopathology, evolution is usually spontaneously favourable, but sometimes only after a few weeks. Magnetic stimulation, in these situations, restores almost systematically and immediately, a normal motor function and avoids the extension of symptoms and in a certain way, a transition to chronicity. Central stimulation is often sufficient. The mechanism in question is probably a reflex dissociative phenomenon: a physical trauma focused on the body, sometimes moderate, will cause a disturbance of the central control in the same territory. There is probably not, in this case, an implication of a belief about the disease that would disturb the predictions about sensory-motor influxes and agency (the idea that our movements belong to us) (Currently the most common theory).

This 44 year old patient who, for 10 years after the brutal onset from an emotional shock experienced a total paraplegia. There was no other history or obvious psychopathology. All the investigations carried out were normal. After the onset of her paraplegia, she twice spent several weeks in a psychiatric hospital (without improvement) due to being considered a patient with purely psychiatric disorders.

During the first consultation, the patient was unable to stand, even supported, and had the impression of bad feeling in her lower limbs, with the absence of any major sensitivity disorder. She could only get around using a wheelchair (see video 1).

In video 1, made in 2001, after the first purely transcranial "wide Field" stimulation session (60 shocks at 1 Hz at the threshold of the engine), the patient would be able to remain upright, supported, but with significant equilibrium troubles. A month later, following the same weekly stimulation sessions, she was be able to walk independently, but still clumsily (see video 2). Her condition healed completely with reeducation sessions, and without any relapse.


Video 2

This is a typical scenario of functional paraplegia following an emotional disturbance. The care, purely psychiatric, with numerous hospitalisations, deeply disturbed the patient who knew "she was not crazy". After 10 years of evolution of this type of disorder, spontaneous cures are rare. The patient reacted particularly well to central stimulation, as frequently, patients treated too late can build resistance to this type of care. Peripheral stimulation, used in a systematic way for only a few years, would have greatly increased her chances of improvement. The "Dissociative" origin of the disorder through loss of control of a function after emotional stress seems, on this occasion, most likely. Central stimulation, by creating large intra-cerebral circular electrical currents, restored connections responsible for this control.

This 16-year-old girl has for 6 months presented several onsets of paralysis of the left foot with major sensitivity disorder. During the first onset, the paralysis occurred during her sleep, during the night preceding her return school. She did not describe any particular anxiety at school and the psychiatric records came back normal. She would make a dozen onsets of the same type, under the same circumstances, spontaneously resolved within a fortnight.

I saw this patient on the third day of an onset. She drags her foot like a ball. She does not know exactly where her foot is (see video 1). On clinical examination there was a major deficiency in the strength of the leg and foot muscles. The tactile sensitivity is kept moderately up to the knee but there is a total abolition of algesic sensitivity and especially proprioceptive (it is unable to know if her big toe is up or down) (see Video 2). She also presents several symptoms of hypermobile EDS with significant hyperlaxity.

Despite transcranial magnetic stimulation, there was no improvement. Only high-intensity and high-frequency peripheral stimulation (100% in intensity and 8 Hz in frequency) can be used to restore proprioceptive sensitivity (see video 3). Once the proprioceptive sensation is restored, the stimulations on the corresponding muscles will restore the motor function (see videos 3 and 4). The patient will be able to walk again and without a cane (see video 5) and she will go on to make a complete recovery. She will have 2 further relapses, controlled immediately by stimulation, resulting in the complete disappearance of her symptoms.


Video 3


Video 4


Video 5

I was able to observe several teenagers experiencing paralysis phenomena on their return from holidays without really identifying any school anxiety. The triggering factor is therefore moderate, reflecting a real fragility of brain connectivity. Once the process has been initiated, it can be repeated. This observation shows very clearly the power of peripheral magnetic stimulation to reactivate certain brain functions. Here, this type of stimulation is most effective in restoring sensitivity by creating indepth currents that will stimulate deep sensory nets and reactivate the sensitivity circuits at a central level. The origin of the disorder is, in this case, obviously of the dissociative type. This method of treatment also teaches us that one must first seek to restore the sensitivity, especially proprioceptive, before being able to improve the motor, and this goes for all patients who have major disorders of sensitivity. Only stimulation of the anesthetised area is effective, in contrast to the stimulation of the corresponding muscles. The paralyses are not going to reoffend but she will subsequently experience a few non-epileptic seizures.