Computer-based Training of Face Recollection to Improve Face Recognition in Developmental Prosopagnosia

Characterizing and Remediating Recollection-specific Face Recognition Deficits in Developmental Prosopagnosia

This study will examine the effectiveness of a cognitive training intervention targeting face recollection, repetition lag training, at improving face recognition in Developmental Prosopagnosia.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Developmental Prosopagnosia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: cognitive training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Joseph M DeGutis, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 510-734-7705; Email: degutis@hms.harvard.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02130
      • Recruiting
      • VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave.
      • Contact: Joseph M DeGutis, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 510-734-7705; Email: degutis@hms.harvard.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Developmental prosopagnosic participants will be included if they are...

• aged 18-90,
• have lifelong histories of face recognition difficulties that impact their everyday life (i.e., not associated with some event such as a stroke, seizure, etc)
• score significantly below the mean on the famous faces test and Cambridge Face Memory Test

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants will be excluded from the study if they...

• have a history of a significant neurological disorder including hydrocephalus, stroke, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), severe neuromuscular diseases, or severe hypoxia due to cardiac arrest.
• have impairments that interfere with cognitive performance, such as uncorrected hearing or vision, lack of English proficiency, musculoskeletal or other issues
• have psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, chronic intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder, or agoraphobia.
• We will exclude individuals who are currently dependent on alcohol or other substances, as this may negatively impact cognitive performance.
• We will exclude participants who currently are, or within the last 6 months, participating in a behavioral or pharmacological intervention.
• Patients with a history of mild TBI or simple concussion will not be excluded as long as it was > 6 months ago and as long as they have not had repeated concussions (>5)
• We will include individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD as long as their medication has been consistent for the past 6 months.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: waitlist control
Experimental: holistic face training + repetition lag training	Behavioral: cognitive training; training to improve encoding and recognition of faces

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cambridge Face Memory Test	learning and recognizing novel faces, out of 72 (higher score is better)	15 minutes
Face Recollection	old/new face recognition test, extracting familiarity and recollection parameters, higher score is better	15 minutes
Face Perception	composite of face matching tasks, Cambridge Face perception Test and computerized Benton, higher score is better	30 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Self-reported face recognition	questionnaire	5 minutes
Face-name learning task		15 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 12, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): May 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Anticipated): July 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 16, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 29, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 23, 2022
• Last Verified: November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Perceptual Disorders; Agnosia; Prosopagnosia
• Other Study ID Numbers: R21EY031000, R01EY032510; R21EY031000 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

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