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Clinical Trials/NCT01315405
NCT01315405UnknownNot Applicable

Do Facial Expression Recognition Disorder and Mirror Neurons Subtend Apathy in Parkinson's Disease?

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand2 sites in 1 country20 target enrollmentStarted: July 1, 2010Last updated:
Conditions

Trial Snapshot

Phase
Not Applicable
Sponsor
Enrollment
20
Locations
2
Primary Endpoint
Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional facial expression recognition tests

Study Overview

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)

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
Allocation
Non Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover
Primary Purpose
Diagnostic
Masking
None

Eligibility Criteria

Ages
18 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
Sex
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)
  • 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)
  • In excluding period for another study

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional facial expression recognition tests

Time Frame: at J0 and at J+15 days

Secondary Outcomes

  • Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during voluntary facial mimicking(at J0 and at J+15days)
  • Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional movies viewing(Made at J0 and at J+15days)
  • Measurement of Empathy (Baron-Cohen), Apathy (Starkstein)(Made at J0 and at J+15days)
  • Measurement of the effect of Levodopa on these parameters(Made at J0 and at J+15days)

Investigators

Sponsor
University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
Sponsor Class
Other

Study Sites (2)

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