Study of Language Disorders and Interactions Between Mnesic Capabilities and Semantic Competencies in Patients with Psychosis

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: At-risk Mental State; Language Disorders; Psychosis; Schizophrenia
• Interventions: Behavioral: Language assessment; Combination Product: CAST - Cannabis Abuse Screening Test; Behavioral: TLC - Scale for the Assessment of Thought, Language, and Communication; Behavioral: MINI - Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview

• Registration Number: NCT06036316
• Lead Sponsor: Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy

Brief Summary

This research concerns the study of language disorders of patients present in the spectrum of psychosis. It is indeed accepted that psychotic disorders are associated with language difficulties, which are only poorly highlighted thanks to reusable tools in clinical practice. These language disorders impact communication, and concern many linguistic domains, thus covering phonology, lexicon, semantics, morphosyntax and pragmatics. It therefore seems relevant to characterize these language disorders and to assess to what extent they interact with the other symptoms of the pathology, in particular the course of the thought disorder and the neuropsychological symptoms. In addition, this study is particularly interested in the interactions between working memory capacities and those related to syntax. It is intended for different patients suffering from psychotic disorders of different intensities, treated in the Psychotherapeutic Center of Nancy. Patients suffering from at-risk mental state (ARMS), first episode of psychosis (FEP) or schizophrenia will benefit from a complete language assessment, evaluating each domain mentioned above, on the expressive and understanding sides. The results of the language assessment will be compared with those of a control group in the same tests. They will also be analyzed with regard to the neuropsychological and psychiatric elements noted in the patient's medical file, in order to highlight possible associations between language skills, neuropsychological and psychiatric symptoms in this patient population.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-09-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-09-12
• Study First Posted: 2023-09-13
• Study Start: 2024-01-23
• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-11
• Last Update Posted: 2025-02-13
• Primary Completion: 2026-01-23
• Study Completion: 2026-01-23

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 90

Inclusion Criteria

• All Groups:

  • Patient affiliated or entitled to a social security scheme
  • Patient having received informed information on the study and having co-signed, with the investigator, a consent to participate in the study
  • For minor participants, at least one of the parents or holders of parental authority having been informed of the study, having received the information note relating to it and not having objected to the participation of his or her child
  • Native language: French

• ARMS and FEP Patient Group:

  • Age between 16 and 35 years old
  • Present the criteria for EMRP or FEP as defined by the Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental State (CAARMS) or present the criteria for Disorders of the course of thought to the items of the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument (SPI-A)

• Patients with schizophrenia group:

  • Age between 16 and 55 years old
  • Patient with diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, as defined by DSM V (American Psychiatric Association, 2015)
  • Present the criteria for Disorganization of Speech and Formal Thought Disorder as defined by the Thinking, Language and Communication (TLC) Rating Scale.

• Healthy Volunteers Group:

  • Age between 16 and 55 years old
  • Parental authorization (of both parents) to participate in the study for minor patients

Exclusion Criteria

• All groups:

  • Pregnant, parturient or nursing mother
  • Person deprived of liberty by a judicial or administrative decision
  • Person in a life-threatening emergency
  • Adult subject to a legal protection measure (guardianship, curatorship, safeguard of justice)
  • Adult person unable to express their consent and who is not the subject of a legal protection measure
  • Impairment of the subject making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to participate in the trial or to understand the information given to them
  • Abuse or dependence of any substance according to DSM V criteria excluding cannabis

• Healthy Volunteers Group:

  • Evolving psychiatric pathology (axis I of the DSM IV, measured at the MINI) excluding anxiety disorder
  • Presence of developmental disorder of oral language or written language revealed on clinical examination.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
early psychotic symptoms	CAST - Cannabis Abuse Screening Test	This group includes patients with ARMS and those with FEP. Although they are not in the same place in the continuum of psychosis, these patients benefit from the same language assessment and CAST, do not benefit from the TLC or the MINI, and the data from their neuropsychological and psychiatric assessment will be used , which is why we have chosen to bring them together in the same arm. They are between 16 and 35 years old and are cared for as part of their usual follow-up at the CPN (Nancy Psychotherapeutic Center). They must have received the diagnosis of ARMS and FEP according to the criteria of CAARMS and SPI-A.
patients with schizophrenia	TLC - Scale for the Assessment of Thought, Language, and Communication	The schizophrenic patients group will benefit from language assessment, TLC and CAST. They are between 18 and 55 years old and are cared for as part of their usual follow-up at the CPN. They must have been diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria.
patients with schizophrenia	Language assessment	The schizophrenic patients group will benefit from language assessment, TLC and CAST. They are between 18 and 55 years old and are cared for as part of their usual follow-up at the CPN. They must have been diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria.
healthy controls	Language assessment	The control group for this study will be made up of volunteers between the ages of 16 and 55, not suffering from any mental disorder detected on the MINI or from a developmental disorder of oral or written language. They will also benefit from an assessment of cannabis use using the CAST.
healthy controls	CAST - Cannabis Abuse Screening Test	The control group for this study will be made up of volunteers between the ages of 16 and 55, not suffering from any mental disorder detected on the MINI or from a developmental disorder of oral or written language. They will also benefit from an assessment of cannabis use using the CAST.
early psychotic symptoms	Language assessment	This group includes patients with ARMS and those with FEP. Although they are not in the same place in the continuum of psychosis, these patients benefit from the same language assessment and CAST, do not benefit from the TLC or the MINI, and the data from their neuropsychological and psychiatric assessment will be used , which is why we have chosen to bring them together in the same arm. They are between 16 and 35 years old and are cared for as part of their usual follow-up at the CPN (Nancy Psychotherapeutic Center). They must have received the diagnosis of ARMS and FEP according to the criteria of CAARMS and SPI-A.
healthy controls	MINI - Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview	The control group for this study will be made up of volunteers between the ages of 16 and 55, not suffering from any mental disorder detected on the MINI or from a developmental disorder of oral or written language. They will also benefit from an assessment of cannabis use using the CAST.
patients with schizophrenia	CAST - Cannabis Abuse Screening Test	The schizophrenic patients group will benefit from language assessment, TLC and CAST. They are between 18 and 55 years old and are cared for as part of their usual follow-up at the CPN. They must have been diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
language assessment performance score	day 1	complete speech therapy assessment evaluating each language domain. and is based on the completion of a speech therapy assessment test and on the assessment of language abilities by the experimental speech therapist.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Severity score for the disordered items of the course of thought of the SPI-A	day 1	SPI-A:Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument
Severity score for speech disorganization and formal thought disorders on the TLC Scale	day 1	TLC: Thinking, Language and Communication Rating Scale
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (CVLT total)	day 1	CVLT (California Verbal Learning test) (quantitative variable): CVLT total: total number of words recalled during the test Recognition
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (Front and back spans)	day 1	Front and back spans (quantitative variable) Front span size (number of digits recalled in front order)
CAARMS Speech Disorganization Severity Score	day 1	CAARMS: Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental State
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (CVLT)	day 1	CVLT (California Verbal Learning test) (quantitative variable): CVLT: number of correct recognitions
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (TAP 1)	day 1	TAP- Working Memory :Number of omissions TAP(Test of Attentional Performance) (quantitative variable)
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (TAP 2)	day 1	TAP- Sustained attention :Number of omissions TAP(Test of Attentional Performance) (quantitative variable)
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (Front and back spans 2)	day 1	Front and back spans (quantitative variable) Reverse span size (number of digits recalled in reverse order)
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (TAP 4)	day 1	TAP- Incompatibility TAP(Test of Attentional Performance) (quantitative variable)
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (TAP 3)	day 1	TAP- Flexibility :Number of errors TAP(Test of Attentional Performance) (quantitative variable)
Neuropsychological rating scales scores (TAP 5)	day 1	TAP- Divided attention
Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) score	day 1	CAST: Cannabis Abuse Screening Test

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Centre Psychothérapeutique de Nancy; 🇫🇷 Laxou, France