Facial Expression Recognition and Mirror Neurons in Parkinson's Disease

March 15, 2011 updated by: University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

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

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)

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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 Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

20

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

  • France
      • Clermont-FERRAND, France, 63003
        • Recruiting
        • Chu Clermont-Ferrand
        • Contact:
          • Patrick LACARIN
          • Phone Number: 04 73 75 11 95

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 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

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

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

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional facial expression recognition tests
Time Frame: at J0 and at J+15 days
at J0 and at J+15 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

Investigators

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

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

July 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2012

Study Completion (Anticipated)

July 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 28, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 14, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

March 15, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 16, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 15, 2011

Last Verified

March 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CHU-0090

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.

Clinical Trials on Parkinson's Disease

Clinical Trials on Emotional facial expression recognition tests

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Lithuania

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe