Emotional and Change-related Attention in Autism (AUTATTEN)

November 14, 2025 updated by: Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
Several studies seem to indicate that emotional attention and change-related attention are impaired in ASD. The goal of this study is to identify the relationships between those two types of automatic attention in visual and auditory modalities in subjects with ASD compared to healthy controls and also, over the course of development (children, adults). In order to achieve this goal, the investigators will use complementary techniques (EEG and MRI-based techniques (fMRI, DTI)).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by major handicap in social interaction and in daily life adaptation. The orienting response towards potentially relevant events involves automatic attentional mechanisms that would be elicited mainly by two classes of biologically important stimulations: novel stimuli and emotional stimuli. The neural basis of emotional and change-related attention in ASD will be explored by investigating brain reactivity in both visual and auditory modalities, during tasks mixing emotional and non emotional stimuli.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

120

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
      • Tours, France, 37044
        • University Hospital

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

5 years to 45 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children/ adults with ASD and healthy children/ adults

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • No past history of central nervous system disorders
  • Written consent
  • Affiliated to the National Health Insurance
  • Do not participate to another biomedical research
  • For ASD group: Children with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-V criteria) and adults with high-functioning autism
  • For healthy subjects: No past history of difficulties in early childhood for acquisition of walk, language or reading and no psychiatric disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Abnormal corrected vision
  • Abnormal audition
  • Not stabilized psychoactive treatment or treatment that can modify electrogenesis
  • Infectious or metabolic diseases
  • Epilepsies
  • Impossibility to participate to the whole study
  • For subjects participating to the MRI recordings: MRI counter-indications (pace-makers ...), claustrophobia or a positive pregnancy test

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Healthy Controls
Other: MRI-based techniques
fMRI, DTI
Other Names:
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Other: EEG
ERP
Other Names:
  • Electroencephaolgraphy
  • Event-related potential (ERP)
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Other: MRI-based techniques
fMRI, DTI
Other Names:
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Other: EEG
ERP
Other Names:
  • Electroencephaolgraphy
  • Event-related potential (ERP)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neural responses to neutral and emotional stimuli
Time Frame: 1 day
ERP (Event-related potential), fMRI and DTI
1 day

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Frédérique BONNET-BRILHAULT, MD,PhD, Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

May 27, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

May 27, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 3, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 6, 2014

First Posted (Estimated)

June 10, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 18, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 14, 2025

Last Verified

August 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • C13-26
  • 2013-A01315-40 (Registry Identifier: IDRCB)

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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