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Tom Plender

@tomplender.bsky.social
409 followers 480 following 209 posts

Musician, Artist, chairman of FND Action

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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
1/ conversion disorder and deconditioning/illness beliefs model have been a simplistic disaster, ME/CFS should be under neuro immunology, not the pseudoscientific dustbin of 'psychogenic illness' - www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Abandoned, dismissed and gaslighted: there is no excuse for the way ME sufferers have been betrayed | George Monbiot
Changes in guidance and science seem to have little impact on millions of devastated lives. It’s a social crisis playing out behind closed doors, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Jon Stone @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
"Inside FND" - a new short film about FND A film that draws on evidence from patients, clinicians and research to counter common misconceptions about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). 🧵 www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDAv...
youtube.com
Inside FND
YouTube video by Jon Stone
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Wholehearted support for shifting towards a “culture of curiosity” - love this! And also for taking human health and illness on its own terms. I’m personally very tired of some of the debates around FND, ME/CFS, etc, which feel stuck in old frameworks that won’t work -
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
This is very thought-provoking! I agree that medical systems - especially training - can select for false certainty and a sort of imperial mindset, Have heard from a number of docs that “I don’t know” isn’t an acceptable answer. IMO the false functional-organic distinction makes this worse.
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
1/Is it time to have an honest, systemic debate about “Institutional Narcissism” in medicine? This is not about attacking individual doctors—many of whom are brilliant, compassionate, and working within a flawed structure. It is about a structural refusal to admit limitation
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
PLEASE SIGN IF YOU CAN - My sister is an anthropology lecturer at Exeter University, they plan to slash the budget for social sciences, this represents an existential threat for the social sciences and will harm the student experience. www.change.org/p/stop-redun...
change.org
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Fascinating article by Carlo Rovelli - 'There is no hard problem of consciousness' www.noemamag.com/there-is-no-...
noemamag.com
There Is No ‘Hard Problem Of Consciousness’ | NOEMA
Consciousness is not separate from the physical world — our “soul” is of the same nature as our body and any other phenomenon of the world.
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David L Perez MD, MMSc @davidlewisperez.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Findings in this @biologicalpsych.bsky.social CNNI paper are complementary to other results published using graph theory metrics in @braincomms.bsky.social. Check out this 20 minute lecture by Christi Westlin that connects the two papers! 8/8 youtu.be/0Zjs-7lf6fA academic.oup.com/braincomms/a...
youtu.be
Inside the Predictive Brain: Neuroimaging Insights into Brain Circuitry in FND
YouTube video by David L Perez
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation of the amygdala! Potentially useful for FND??
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Laura Graham who is a masters researcher at York St John University UK is studying FND. She also has FND herself. She’s doing an international anonymous online survey if you would like to take part here's a link - yorksj.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
yorksj.eu.qualtrics.com
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
A while ago I gave a talk at the London Medical Society on “functional” vs “organic” illness (it was rough, I was nervous). Now Ben Stecher, an awesome Parkinson’s advocate-researcher, analyzes it in this lovely blog post to examine overlap of FND + PD Delighted! 🙏 tmrwedition.com/2026/03/02/t...
tmrwedition.com
Rethinking FND in Parkinson's: Beyond the Organic Binary
The organic vs. functional binary fails Parkinson's patients. Discover why Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) require an embodiment framework to treat.
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
This looks important
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
1/"The distinction between diseases of 'brain' and 'mind', between 'neurological' problems and 'psychological' or psychiatric ones is an unfortunate cultural inheritance the permeates society and medicine,
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Tim Nicholson @timnicholson.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Just over 2 weeks left to submit your abstracts to the @fndsociety.bsky.social for the biannual FND international conference in Baltimore! Do come & support this new society for what must be medicine’s oldest & most enigmatic disorder! @https://www.fndsociety.org/biennial-meeting/2026/abstract
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
This is great - a really nice overview of recent FND network studies, and a friendly introduction to predictive processing theory in FND 🙌
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Too bad these conditions are among the most stigmatized, and so the least researched (This goes for FND too!) Sometimes it feels like a real “we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas” kind of situation
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Jon Stone @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
New @aanmember.bsky.social guidelines for the management of functional seizures led by Ben Tolchin. A landmark for people with FND worldwide. ✅Rigorous evidence-based process ✅Consensus practical recommendations ✅Endorsed by @fndsociety.bsky.social www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
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Gail Davies @gailfdavies.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
New paper outlining a spatial account of #FND and proposing an approach to the co-production of functional symptoms. It draws on my longstanding work on geographies of health knowledges, my recent health experiences, and emerging interdisciplinary conversations www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Screenshot of the front page of an article published in the journal Social and Cultural Geography called Remapping the body: an autoethnography of pain, paraesthesia, and the co-production of functional neurological symptoms
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Tim Nicholson @timnicholson.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Such a superb, insightful & brave paper from @gailfdavies.bsky.social who so eloquently captures and describes what many of us have noticed about the evolution of symptoms as a result of patients’ interactions with the medical system👏👏💪🏻💪🏻 Straight into my top 10 of best papers ever on FND👌👌
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Jon Stone @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Reclaiming FND for Rehabilitation Medicine – new open access editorial Neurorehab colleague Phil Milburn-McNulty and I set out why Rehab Medicine is so well-suited to treating FND, why they historically haven’t and what can be done to change things. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
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FNDcourage @fndcourage.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
As this year closes, hope may not feel loud or triumphant. It may be quiet, tender, or barely noticeable. It may be found in rest, self-kindness, or making it through one more day. If this year took more than it gave, know you are still worthy. Feather-light hope is still singing within you. #fnd
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
How gratifying that this is finally out! And what a pleasure to colllaborate on this. I hope it’s a real step forward for clinical care of people w func seizures. Also a wonderful learning experience for me personally - extremely rigorous methodology thnx to Maryam Oskoui and co-authors
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
I'm heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dr. Mark Hallett. A few thoughts in remembrance…
Dr Mark Halley, photo from NIH web site
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
An important study (IMO) looking at social dynamics re: FND on Twitter. People w FND face continual attack by a variety of groups who dismiss our condition and experiences - ranging from abusive clinicians to other disabled people. It makes it even harder to exist in public with this dx.
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Hey folks. ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress is now concluded (great meeting!), so I thought I'd share a few highlights from my talk on Functional / Dissociative Seizures (FDS). The full talk (and recording) belong to ILAE, but here are some of the key points!
A canvas sign advertising the 36th International Epilepsy Congress in Lisbon, Portugal
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
I know what I’m reading this weekend! 😎
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Jane Boissiere @edinpublishing.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Really looking forward to this www.rsm.ac.uk/events/hypno... interest? @mattburkemd.bsky.social @matthewbroome.bsky.social @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social @susannahpick.bsky.social @wendyburn.bsky.social @inspirethemind.bsky.social @tomplender.bsky.social @fndportal.bsky.social
rsm.ac.uk
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Latest attempt to try and define predictive brain mechanism in #FND in the simplest terms - A disconnect in the brain where - Beliefs/expectations + prior experiences Outweigh Incoming sensory input from present reality Does that seem accurate? Any thoughts appreciated 🙏
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Is hypnosis the ideal therapy for #FND ?great presentation from Dr Abhijit Das - youtu.be/GEKLOwfhvA8?...
youtu.be
Hypnosis and Suggestion: An ideal therapy for Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)?
YouTube video by Dr Abhijit Das
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Functional seizures don't act like epilepsy. Functional movement disorders don't act like nervous system damage. But is FND feigning or malingering? No! A great paper from @mahyog.bsky.social @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social explains why www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfil...
pure.ed.ac.uk
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
#fnd #disabilityrights
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
“Connections between the nervous and immune systems are increasingly recognized as central to brain–body physiology […] we examine how these systems collaborate to detect and respond to both internal and external stimuli — such as psychological stress, circadian cues, infection, and tissue injury.“
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
“The findings emphasize the need for personalised and compassionate care for individuals suffering from FND, underpinned by increased service provision within the healthcare system.”
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UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences @uclbrainscience.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
🎉 Congratulations to Prof. @katerinafoto.bsky.social‬, who has won the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize for her outstanding contributions to promoting equality and diversity in the brain sciences. ‪@network-alba.bsky.social‬ @kavlifoundation.org‬
buff.ly
Professor Aikaterini Fotopoulou Awarded 2025 ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize
Professor Aikaterini Fotopoulou from UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences has been awarded the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies meeting.
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
For anybody struggling- great video from Dan Buglio on not losing hope with these #FND / chronic pain type conditions www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ccd...
youtube.com
Are You Losing Hope?
YouTube video by Pain Free You
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Fascinating talk with @Brain_Tinkerer and Karl Friston on how hypnosis for #FND might fit into a Free energy principle/ computational neuroscience model www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvoN... @fndportal.bsky.social @katerinafoto.bsky.social @edinpublishing.bsky.social
youtube.com
FEP & Functional Neurological Disorder: Clinical Features and a Therapeutic Approach - Abhijit Das
YouTube video by Theoretical Neurobiology Group
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
1/A major flaw with Freuds conversion disorder theory- that patients who've been traumatised cannot consciously remember the event and it ends up repressed. In my experience people are more likely to vividly remember traumatic events from the past-
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Sadly still seeing many reports from newly-diagnosed folks in FND spaces that their doctor diagnosed them by “ruling things out.” This is bad! FND should be diagnosed based on positive clinical signs. It is not a diagnosis of exclusion. Someone please have a word with the neurologists 🙏
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
1/In #FND , chronic pain & PTSD it seems like ‘threat detection’ areas of the brain are almost frozen in time. Even though the triggering event i.e injury, accident or psychological trauma are over- these deep unconscious areas of the brain are convinced they are still taking place.
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
My attempt to summarise the ‘predictive brain model’ that is likely a core mechanism of #FND , in the simplest terms - The brains assessment of probability, made by a combo of ‘beliefs’ + ‘prior experiences’ Does that seem accurate?
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Great video on the pain science revolution, highly relevant to #FND . www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpvP...
youtube.com
PAIN SCIENCE PARADIGM SHIFT
YouTube video by Symptomatic
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Daniel Yon @danieljamesyon.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Delighted to see ‘A Trick of the Mind’ reviewed in @theguardian.com as Book of the Day! 🧠 🍎 Also in the print edition tomorrow 🗞️ www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...
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Hamilton Morrin @hamiltonmorrin.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
🧠 Study exploring new FND treatment! We’re exploring patient views on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for #FND rehab. ✅ 18+ ✅ Diagnosed w/ motor FND (e.g. weakness, tremor) 📝 10-min survey and educational video: qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_... 📎 Poster below #FNDresearch #BCI
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Exciting news! The first-ever symposium on Functional Neurological Disorder in Aotearoa / New Zealand. Importantly - with participation by people w FND. 🙌 www.fndlanguagematters.nz
fndlanguagematters.nz
FND: Language matters
We are thrilled to have support from the Neurological Foundation and Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka to offer Aotearoa's first symposium on functional neurological disorder. We aim t...
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Changing language is key to challenging stigma in #FND - ‘conversion disorder’ ‘irrational illness beliefs’ ‘catastrophiser’ ‘somatiser’ - all punitive, judgemental & unhelpful terms www.fndlanguagematters.nz
fndlanguagematters.nz
FND: Language matters
We are thrilled to have support from the Neurological Foundation and Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka to offer Aotearoa's first symposium on functional neurological disorder. We aim t...
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Time to get the facts straight. 🙌 Thanks @jonstoneneuro.bsky.social, Caoimhe McLaughlin and Anna Ross, and the ETUDE team for bringing this to life.
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FND Portal @fndportal.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
This is very cool! “This study employed three complementary graph theory analyses to delineate the functional network architecture in FND…results support the notion that FND involves aberrant within- and between-network communication”. Potentially informing treatment + future replication studies
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Tom Plender @tomplender.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
The ultimate medical gaslighting sketch from The League of Gentleman - as an #FND patient this feels horribly familiar!
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Bex @iamthebexter.com · 23/05/2025
#FND neuro rehab fundraiser to hopefully help me be more mobile, more independent and less pain!
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