A New Eye-based Communication Device for ALS Patients (ELY-SLA)

November 25, 2015 updated by: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

A Pilot Study Assessing a New Eye-writing Device Allowing Cursive Writing With Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements in Subjects With ALS

Eighteen ALS patients will be trained to control a new communication device (Eye On Line: EOL) that permit over smooth eye movements to generate digits, letters, words or drawing at will. The intervention consists in a training program during six visits over 3 weeks on site allowing a gradual acquisition of the eye-writing. The primary objective of the study is to assess the feasibility of the use of EOL device in ALS patients. The EOL device potentially offers a creative and personal means of linguistic and emotional expression in subject with motor disability.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background: Motor weakness progression in ALS challenges communication modalities such as writing or speech with a marked impairment of quality of life. In recent years the development of appropriate communication tools played a key role to maintain patients in an efficient interaction with environment and caregivers. However there is a need for tools to customize communication and provide a creative space. Eye on-line (EOL) is a new communication device with which the user is presented with an illusion inducing visual stimulus resulting in the perception of illusory movement that can be followed by the eye, so that smooth pursuit eye movement can be sustained in arbitrary directions.(1) After an appropriate training participants gain volitional control over smooth eye movements and can generate digits, letters, words or drawing at will.

Objectives: The primary objective of the study is to assess the feasibility of the use of EOL device in ALS patients. The secondary objective is to assess its clinical safety in subjects with ALS. We added exploratory objectives to evaluate eye movements in ALS patients, to study factors (neuropsychology, eye movements) that may influence the use of the apparatus and to evaluate a Bayesian computational model for online character recognition.(2) Methods: Eighteen subjects with ALS and motor impairment impairing normal writing will be recruited with a duration of participation of four weeks per patient. The intervention will consist in a training program to the device during six visits on site allowing a gradual acquisition of the ability to perform an eye-writing. The primary endpoint is the recognition by an outside observer of the digits 0-9 produced by the patient with the device. The secondary criteria is the record of adverse events and serious adverse events occurred during the study other than those directly related to ALS.

Discussion/Conclusions: EOL device potentially offers a creative and personal means of linguistic and emotional expression in subject with motor disability. The study is open to patients recruitment since June 2014. Results are expected in mid 2015.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

12

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

      • Paris, France, 75013
        • Groupe Hospitalier Pitié Salpêtrière

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion criteria :

  • 18 to 65 years old
  • patient with SLA diagnosis
  • patient presenting writing troubles
  • patient with understandable speaking communication
  • patient with health insurance

Exclusion criteria :

  • patients presenting oculomotricity troubles
  • patients presenting frontotemporal dementia
  • patients presenting a chronic incapacitating disease other than ALS
  • patients presenting epilepsy antecedents
  • patents included in an other clinical study

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

  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EOL (Eye On Line)
training program allowing a gradual acquisition of the eye-writing
the intervention consists in training program allowing a gradual acquisition of the eye-writing

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
recognition by an outside observer of the digits 0-9 produced by the patient with the device
Time Frame: 4 weeks
4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
adverse events
Time Frame: 4 weeks
4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Lucette Lacomblez, MD, PhD, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

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

June 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 5, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 5, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

December 10, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 26, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 25, 2015

Last Verified

July 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • P131101

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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