Emotions in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders: a Common Vulnerability? (ELISE)

June 20, 2016 updated by: CHU de Reims

Interaction Emotion-cognition in the Study of Literal and Figurative Language in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Studies

The initial aim of the project was to gain an understanding of the comprehension of "language-oriented" emotions among schizophrenic and bipolar patients. By "language-oriented" emotions, the investigators mean the emotions that are conveyed by means of language, whether through the emotional valence of the words, the expression of an emotional state or emotional prosody. Although they involve different diagnostic categories, schizophrenic and bipolar disorders nevertheless share a number of symptoms, in particular in the emotional sphere, and do so to such an extent that the question of whether there may, at the clinical, cognitive and etiopathogenic levels, exist a continuum between these disorders is frequently raised. Taking this hypothesis of a clinical continuum as our starting point, the investigators explored the understanding of emotions contextualized by language in these two clinical populations, namely patients exhibiting schizophrenic and bipolar disorders. To these populations, the investigators also added the dimension of vulnerability in the form of non-clinical participants varying in terms of their traits of schizotypy and hypomania, thus orienting this project toward the early identification of cognitive-emotional markers and possibly also their prevention.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The aim of this proposal is to investigate disturbances of understanding of "emotional language" in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. By "emotional langague", the investigators mean emotions wich can be drawn from utterances, thanks to affective valence of words or phrases, expression of emotional state or prosody. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share several symptoms, particularly those related to emotional sphere, in such a way that it is frequently asked whether these disorders could be formalized on a continuum. Comparing the cognitive-emotional functioning of these two kinds of patients should allow identifying cognitive markers of the psychotic symptom dimension common in both diseases.

On the basis of the abundant literature regarding cognitive-emotional functioning in schizophrenia and on the more infrequent literature concerning bipolar functioning, the investigators hypothesized that the difficulties in processing emotions, in attributing intentionality and in integrating information for meaning are markers for the psychotic symptom dimension common in both pathologies. To test this hypothesis, the investigators chose to investigate language understanding because it can imply a semantic-emotional processing and because it necessitates integration processes. The integration processes obligatory operate on semantic information, from which it can be added, in ecological situations, prosodic and intentional information. The proposed methodology involves different levels of language, requiring more or less complex integration processes - literal language and figurative language - and different emotional features - affective valence of words and expressions and emotional prosody -.

The investigators plan to conduct behavioral and electrophysiological (event-related potentials) studies. For the later, The investigators will focus on electrophysiological components well known to be implied in language and emotional processing: the N400, the LPC (Late Positive Component) and the LPP (Late Positive Potential). The combination of behavioral and electrophysiological indicators will allow the identification of the neurocognitive mechanisms shared by both schizophrenic and bipolar patients, particularly those who experienced a psychotic episode, in comparison with those of healthy participants. These studies will be conducted on 60 stable schizophrenic patients, 60 euthymic bipolar patients with or without psychotic symptoms, and 120 healthy participants, matched on age and educational achievement level to each pathological group. Different instruments will be used to investigate, in both pathological groups and their controls, different emotional dimensions (anhedonia, alexithymia, positive or negative affectivity, depression, anxiety). Investigating the cognitive-emotional functioning of patients from a dimensional approach (psychotic symptom dimension) rather than from a categorical approach could impulse a new way of thinking diagnosis or identifying factors of vulnerability and protection for these diseases.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

240

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
    • Reims
      • France, Reims, France, 51092
        • Recruiting
        • Chu Reims

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

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion criteria

Patients :

Men or women, right-handed, with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, according to the DSM-IV criteria, aged from 18 to 65 years-old Native French speaker Clinically stabilised Able to provide informed written and verbal consent

Healthy Controls :

Men or women, right-handed, aged from 18 to 65 years-old Native French speaker Able to provide informed written and verbal consent

Exclusion criteria

Patients :

A recent alcohol and/or drug abuse or dependence A significant general medical illness, including neurological disorders or head trauma A sensorial impairment (visual and/or hearing)

Healthy Controls :

A personal or first-degree-relative history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder according to DSM-IV A recent alcohol and/or drug abuse or dependence A significant general medical illness, including neurological disorders or head trauma A sensorial impairment (visual and/or hearing)

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: NON_RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Bipolar Disorder patients
Other: Electroencephalographic recordings
Other: neuropsychological evaluation
Other: clinical evaluation of symptoms
EXPERIMENTAL: Schizophrenia patients
Other: Electroencephalographic recordings
Other: neuropsychological evaluation
Other: clinical evaluation of symptoms
EXPERIMENTAL: Healthy Volunteers
Other: Electroencephalographic recordings
Other: neuropsychological evaluation
Other: clinical evaluation of symptoms

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Event-related brain potentials (ERP)
Time Frame: within 30 days
within 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

CHU de Reims

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

February 1, 2014

Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED)

August 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 15, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 15, 2016

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

June 17, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

June 21, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 20, 2016

Last Verified

June 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PO13116

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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