Facial Expression Recognition and Mirror Neurons in Parkinson's Disease

Sponsor
University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand (Other)
Overall Status
Unknown status
CT.gov ID
NCT01315405
Collaborator
(none)
20
1
36
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Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

After few years of evolution, patients with Parkinson's disease may develop apathy, with different degrees of severity. Apathy is characterized by a loss of interest for the others and for activities. The lack of social interactions in these patients may be due to an impairment in decoding emotional facial expression. Indeed, facial expression recognition, which is necessary to understand other's emotional state, requires a subclinical facial mimicking of the expression observed. Yet, one of the clinical signs of PD is amimia.

This study aims to determinate if there is a facial mimicry disorder in PD ( Parkinson's disease )patients with emotional facial expression (EFE) recognition impairment, compared to healthy control subjects. We also want to know if this facial mimicry disorder is primary (subtended by facial mobility impairment, that is to say amimia) or secondary (related to the mirror neuron systems that allows us to activate similar neural networks when observing and feeling a specific emotion)

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Behavioral: Emotional facial expression recognition tests
N/A

Detailed Description

20 patients with an Idiopathic Parkinson's disease

  • 20 paired healthy volunteers (on sex, age, and education)

After inclusion, patients are evaluated two times: they are studied without medication (MED OFF) and with medication (STIM ON) in a randomized order. The 2 evaluations should be spaced out 15 days to one month (J0 and J+15d)

Healthy subjects have only one visit J0 (inclusion and emotional facial expression recognition tests are made at the same time)

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
20 participants
Allocation:
Non-Randomized
Intervention Model:
Crossover Assignment
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Diagnostic
Official Title:
Do Facial Expression Recognition Disorder and Mirror Neurons Subtend Apathy in Parkinson's Disease?
Study Start Date :
Jul 1, 2010
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
Dec 1, 2012
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
Jul 1, 2013

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional facial expression recognition tests [at J0 and at J+15 days]

Secondary Outcome Measures

  1. Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during voluntary facial mimicking [at J0 and at J+15days]

  2. Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional movies viewing [Made at J0 and at J+15days]

  3. Measurement of Empathy (Baron-Cohen), Apathy (Starkstein) [Made at J0 and at J+15days]

  4. Measurement of the effect of Levodopa on these parameters [Made at J0 and at J+15days]

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Yes
Inclusion Criteria:
  • Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease according to UKPDSBB criteria - Men or women aged between 18 to 75 years

  • Free from any visio-perceptive disorder (visual acuity and Vitec)

  • Affiliated to National Health system

  • Having given their informed consent

--Healthy controls

  • Men or women aged between 18 to 75 years

  • Free from any visio-perceptive disorder (visual acuity and Vitec)

  • Affiliated to National Health system

  • Having given their informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:
  • With dementia or with significant dysexecutive disorder (MMS <24, MATTIS< 130)

  • With fluctuations (<5 Levodopa intakes / day)

  • With severe depression (BDI > 27)

  • With psychiatric comorbidities (hallucinations, psychos) evaluated with l'Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale part I (UPDRS part I =0)

  • With faces processing disorder (Benton < 39)

  • Pregnant

  • Treatment with deep brain stimulation

  • Under guardianship

  • In excluding period for another study

--Healthy controls

  • Suffering of neurological or psychiatric evolutive condition

  • With severe depression (BDI > 27)

  • With faces processing disorder (Benton < 39)

  • Pregnant

  • In excluding period for another study

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Site City State Country Postal Code
1 CHU Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-FERRAND France 63003

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ana MARQUES, PH, University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

None provided.
Responsible Party:
, ,
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT01315405
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • CHU-0090
First Posted:
Mar 15, 2011
Last Update Posted:
Mar 16, 2011
Last Verified:
Mar 1, 2011
Keywords provided by , ,
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Mar 16, 2011