Cognitive and Emotional Factors in Visual Exploration Among Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (SAILLANCE2) (SAILLANCE2)

Cognitive and Emotional Factors in Visual Exploration Among Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by hypervigilance. In particular, previous works suggest that patients tend to scan constantly the environment for possible threats. The present project aims at investigating such attentional bias in patients with PTSD using the change blindness paradigm that offers the interesting possibility of studying sensitivity to sudden changes using ecological stimuli. More precisely, the investigators will investigate whether patients are more sensitive than matched controls to sudden changes in the visual environment and whether this hypersensitivity is specific or even stronger when visual information has an emotional content. The attentional bias will be measured using motor responses (accuracy and speed to indicate the occurrence of a change by pressing a button) as well as eye movements.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 80

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Lille, France, 59037
    • University Hospital, Lille

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Thirty patients with PTSD and 30 participants exposed to trauma without PTSD will be asked to detect neutral or emotional changes in 96 scenes.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• a diagnosis of PTSD based on the standard DSM-IV criteria,
• normal or corrected vision.
• clinically stable at the testing time

Exclusion Criteria:

• history of neurological illness or trauma that occurred in the previous six months, - pregnant and nursing women,
• drugs use in the last 24 hours,
• an acute ocular disorder.
• Participants will not be under tutorship, curatorship or deprived of liberty.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Controls; 30 healthy controls without any psychiatric or neurological diagnosis
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD); 30 patients with PTSD (diagnosis based on the standard DSM criteria)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Response time before the detection of neutral and emotional stimuli.	The explicit response of the participants will be measured with the response time before the detection of neutral and emotional stimuli.	Baseline: one session

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of correct detections compared with the missed detections and false alarms.	Performances will be measured by a sensitivity index (D prime) . This sensitivity index considers the number of correct detections compared with the missed detections and false alarms.	Baseline: one session
Total duration until the participant first fixed on a ROI.	The implicit response will be measured by the localization and duration of fixations. All fixations outside the recording field will be excluded. The main variable will be the mean latency of the first fixation in a region of interest (ROI). This variable corresponds to the total duration until the participant first fixed on a ROI.	Baseline: one session

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Lille
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Guillaume VAIVA, University Hospital, Lille

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Creupelandt C, Veerapa E, Bugnet A, Wathelet M, Demesmaeker A, Grandgenevre P, Vaiva G, Fovet T, D'Hondt F. Comment on: Attentional bias modification and attention control training in PTSD: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2024 Sep 17;14:20451253241278872. doi: 10.1177/20451253241278872. eCollection 2024. No abstract available.
• Veerapa E, Grandgenevre P, Vaiva G, Duhem S, Fayoumi ME, Vinnac B, Szaffarczyk S, Wathelet M, Fovet T, D'Hondt F. Attentional bias toward negative stimuli in PTSD: an eye-tracking study. Psychol Med. 2023 Sep;53(12):5809-5817. doi: 10.1017/S0033291722003063. Epub 2022 Oct 19.
• Veerapa E, Grandgenevre P, El Fayoumi M, Vinnac B, Haelewyn O, Szaffarczyk S, Vaiva G, D'Hondt F. Attentional bias towards negative stimuli in healthy individuals and the effects of trait anxiety. Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 16;10(1):11826. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68490-5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 5, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): May 5, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 26, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 8, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): May 9, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 11, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Change blindness; Eye tracking; Implicit response
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2013_19.2; 2013-A01498-37 (Other Identifier: ID-RCB number, ANSM)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No