Links Between Cognitive Functions and Clinical, Biological and Neuroradiological Outcomes in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease. (Drépa-COG)

Cognitive Functions in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease and Cognitive Complaints: Neuropsychological Assessment and Links to Demographic, Clinical, Biological, Neuroradiological Outcomes and Validation of a Cognitive Assessment Tool.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder. Symptoms include acute and chronic complications. Due to progress in SCD care, patients with SCD are living longer than before and we focus more attention in chronic complications.

Children with SCD experience worse cognitive functions than healthy children, and fewer is known about cognitive functions in adults. Studies suggest lower cognitive performance in SCD, mostly in executive functions and processing speed, but the biological and anatomical substrates of cognitive decline are not yet well established in SCD. Often times, cognitive impairments and cerebral disorders are not diagnosed and treated in adults with SCD.

The main objective of this study is to propose a deep neuropsychological assessment in adults with SCD and cognitive complaints and to highlight links between cognitive functions and clinical, biological and neuroradiological markers. The hypothesis of this study is that cognitive functions are associated with severity of the SCD, with bood abnormalities, with MRI markers and Transcranial Doppler (TCD) markers of cerebrovascular disease. The secondary objective of this study is to validate a brief cognitive assessment tool (BEARNI tool) in adults with SCD.

This study is an observational cross-sectional study that will enroll adults with SCD and cognitive complaint.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sickle Cell Disease; Drepanocytosis
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: BEARNI Tool

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 19

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Bron, France, 69437
    • Hôpital Edouard Herriot

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

Adults with sickle cell disease and cognitive complaint

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years old
• Sickle cell anemia (homozygous SS or heterozygous SC, Sβ0, S/C, Sβ+)
• In steady state (without vaso-occlusive crisis or acute chest syndrome at the time of measurements)
• Presence of spontaneous cognitive complaint or requested by the physician.
• Good command of the French language (native language or not)
• No objection to participate in the study
• Affiliated patient or beneficiary of social security scheme

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient not compliant in the management of his disease
• Patient participating in another interventional research protocol that may interfere with this protocol (according to investigator's judgment)
• Language barrier
• Pregnancy or breast feeding
• MRI contraindication
• Patient under guardianship , curatorship or justice
• Inability to express non-opposition

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Sickle cell disease patient; Adults with sickle cell disease (homozygous SS or heterozygous SC, Sβ0 or Sβ+) with cognitive complaint.

Behavioral: BEARNI Tool; BEARNI is brief screening tool initially validated for Alcohol-related neuropsychological impairments (Ritz et al., 2015). BEARNI tool detect impairment in visuospatial abilities, executive functions, verbal episodic memory, and verbal working memory. The score of the test could be expressed as a global score, and also as subscores corresponding to each cognitive subtest. Normative data are available.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
BEARNI questionnaire	Cognitive performance will be evaluated by a large neuropsychological assessment. The cognitive score will be interpreted as raw scores, z-score adjusted for level of education, age, and sex, according to the tests and binarized into two categories (normal versus pathological performances)	Day 0

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 13, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 5, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): April 5, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 23, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): January 28, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Sickle Cell Disease; Drepanocytosis
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Hematologic Diseases; Anemia, Hemolytic, Congenital; Anemia, Hemolytic; Anemia; Hemoglobinopathies; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Sickle Cell Trait
• Other Study ID Numbers: 69HCL19_0753; 2019-A02709-48 (Other Identifier: ID-RCB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No