Protocol in Musician's Focal Dystonia (MISA) (MISA)

November 3, 2026 updated by: Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ETS

Effectiveness of the MISA (Mirror Integrated Sensorimotor Approach) Rehabilitation Protocol for Musicians With Focal Dystonia: A Retrospective Observational Study

Musician's Focal Dystonia (MFD) is a task-specific movement disorder that impairs fine motor control during musical performance and may severely affect professional and amateur musicians. The Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA) is a standardized home-based rehabilitation program that combines mirror therapy, sensory reorganization exercises, graded motor training, and motor awareness strategies to promote sensorimotor retraining.

This retrospective observational study aims to evaluate the association between participation in the MISA rehabilitation program and changes in musical performance among musicians with focal hand dystonia. Musical performance is assessed using the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS), a patient-reported outcome measure specifically developed for musicians with focal dystonia. Secondary objectives include the investigation of clinical and individual factors potentially associated with treatment response.

The study consists of a review of clinical records of patients who completed the MISA program as part of routine clinical care at the Sol Diesis Outpatient Clinic, IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Musician's Focal Dystonia (MFD) is a task-specific movement disorder characterized by loss of fine motor control, involuntary muscle contractions, and abnormal movement patterns that emerge during musical performance. The condition is thought to result from maladaptive neuroplasticity, impaired sensorimotor integration, and abnormalities in cortical inhibitory mechanisms. These alterations interfere with highly trained motor skills and may profoundly affect professional and amateur musicians.

Although pharmacological treatments, including botulinum toxin injections and oral medications, may provide symptomatic benefit, rehabilitation interventions have become an increasingly important component of MFD management. Previous studies have suggested that sensorimotor retraining approaches, including mirror therapy, sensory reorganization, graded motor training, and motor control exercises, may improve musical performance and reduce dystonic symptoms.

The Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA) is a structured home-based rehabilitation protocol developed at the Sol Diesis Outpatient Clinic of IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi. The protocol integrates mirror therapy, sensory reorganization exercises, graded motor training, and motor awareness strategies within a progressive framework of increasing task complexity. The intervention aims to promote adaptive sensorimotor reorganization, improve movement selectivity, reduce maladaptive co-contraction patterns, and facilitate transfer of acquired motor skills to musical performance.

This retrospective observational study involves the review of medical records of adult musicians with instrument-specific focal dystonia who underwent the MISA rehabilitation program as part of routine clinical care between July 2017 and May 2026. Data collected include demographic and professional characteristics, clinical features of dystonia, treatment characteristics, and musical performance outcomes.

Musical performance was assessed using the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS), a patient-reported outcome measure specifically developed for musicians with focal dystonia. Assessments performed before treatment initiation (T0) and at completion of the rehabilitation program (T1) were used to evaluate treatment-related changes.

The primary objective of the study is to explore the association between participation in the MISA rehabilitation program and changes in musical performance measured by TAPS scores. Secondary objectives include the investigation of associations between treatment-related changes and individual or clinical characteristics of participants, including age, sex, instrument played, disease duration, dystonia pattern, and affected body segments.

The study is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee CET Lombardia 4 (Approval No. CET 90-26).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
70

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Italy
      • Florence, Italy
        • IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi - Centro IRCCS Don Carlo Gnocchi Firenze
    • Italy
      • Milan, Italy, Italy, 20148
        • IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi - Santa Maria Nascente

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult professional and amateur musicians with instrument-specific focal hand dystonia who initiated the Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA) rehabilitation program at the Sol Diesis Outpatient Clinic, IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy. Participants were identified through retrospective review of medical records collected between July 2017 and May 2026. Both program completers and participants who discontinued treatment were included in the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Professional or amateur musician.
  • Clinical diagnosis of instrument-specific focal dystonia.
  • Participation in the Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA) rehabilitation program.
  • Availability of baseline Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS) assessment.
  • Availability of post-treatment TAPS assessment, when available.
  • Availability of informed consent or absence of documented opposition to the processing of personal data for research purposes.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Neurological disorders or clinical conditions potentially mimicking or confounding the diagnosis of focal dystonia.
  • Forms of dystonia other than instrument-specific focal dystonia.
  • Insufficient baseline clinical documentation.
  • Botulinum toxin treatment within 3 months prior to initiation of the MISA program.
  • Botulinum toxin treatment administered during the MISA rehabilitation program.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: CASE_ONLY
  • Time Perspectives: RETROSPECTIVE

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Musicians With Focal Hand Dystonia Treated With MISA

Adult professional and amateur musicians with instrument-specific focal hand dystonia who completed the Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA) rehabilitation program as part of routine clinical care. Participants were evaluated at baseline and after completion of the rehabilitation program using the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS).
Behavioral: Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA)

The Modified Integrated Sensorimotor Approach (MISA) is a standardized home-based rehabilitation program for musicians with focal hand dystonia. The intervention combines mirror therapy, sensory reorganization exercises, graded motor training, motor awareness strategies, and progressive task-oriented practice. The program consists of six modules delivered across approximately 12 weeks, with individualized instruction provided by a physiotherapist and independent home exercises performed four days per week.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Technical Ability (TA) score of the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS)
Time Frame: From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Change from baseline (T0) to post-treatment assessment (T1) in musical performance measured using the Technical Ability (TA) score of the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS). The TA score ranges from 0 to 10 points, with 0 indicating the poorest technical performance and 10 indicating the best technical performance. Higher scores indicate better technical performance.
From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Performimg Scale (PS) score of the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS)
Time Frame: From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Change from baseline (T0) to post-treatment assessment (T1) in musical performance measured using the Performance Scale (PS) score of the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS). The PS score ranges from 0 to 10 points, with 0 indicating the poorest musical performance and 10 indicating the best musical performance. Higher scores indicate better musical performance.
From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.
Predictors of change in Technical Ability (TA) score
Time Frame: From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Exploratory analyses will assess the association between change in TA score (points) and participant characteristics, including age (years), sex, musical instrument, professional status, age at dystonia onset (years), disease duration (years), affected body side, affected body segments, number of affected segments, and dystonia pattern.
From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.
Predictors of change in Performing Scale (PS) score
Time Frame: From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Exploratory analyses will assess the association between change in PS score (points) and participant characteristics, including age (years), sex, musical instrument, professional status, age at dystonia onset (years), disease duration (years), affected body side, affected body segments, number of affected segments, and dystonia pattern.
From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.
Predictors of treatment dropout
Time Frame: From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Exploratory analysis of baseline predictors of treatment dropout. The outcome will be dropout status (dropout vs. treatment completion). Potential predictors assessed at baseline (T0) will include Technical Ability (TA) score of the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS) (points), Performance Scale (PS) score of the Technical Ability and Performing Scale (TAPS) (points), age (years), sex, musical instrument, professional status, age at dystonia onset (years), disease duration (years), affected body side, affected body segments, number of affected segments, and dystonia pattern.
From baseline (T0) through end of treatment (T1), up to 24 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ETS

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Ministry of Health, Italy

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Marina Ramella, MD, IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 31, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MISA

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be made publicly available due to the retrospective nature of the study and the need to protect participant confidentiality and privacy.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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