Subjective Assessment of Spatial Orientation Abilities in Alzheimer's Disease (ESCAPE-AD)

May 26, 2026 updated by: Dr Thérèse RIVASSEAU JONVEAUX, Central Hospital, Nancy, France

Evaluation Subjective Des CApacités d'Orientation sPatialE Dans la mAladie D'Alzheimer

Difficulty orienting oneself and finding one's way around the environment, also known as "topographical disorientation" (TD) or "spatial disorientation" (SD), is a common and often early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that affects people's independence and well-being. Being able to identify it is therefore crucial in order to provide appropriate support.

It cannot be assessed using conventional psychometric tests due to its low ecological validity. Several subjective assessment scales have been created to screen for SD "spatial disorientation" and assess its functional and psychological impact. However, none of these scales have been translated and validated in French. As a result, DS is not assessed in routine clinical practice.

Among these scales, the Wayfinding Questionnaire (WQ) explores three dimensions: spatial orientation, distance estimation, and spatial anxiety. This questionnaire has undergone psychometric validation studies in its original Dutch version for a population with mild post-stroke , and norms for the general population have been published.

Our team translated this questionnaire into French (i.e., "Questionnaire d'Orientation Spatiale" (QOS)) and adapted it cross-culturally to preserve the qualities of the measurement. A "Caregiver" version was also created, taking into account the anosognosia known to occur in AD. Primary Objective : Evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spatial Orientation Questionnaire (SOSQ) (i.e., the French translation and adaptation of the Wayfinding Questionnaire) in assessing spatial orientation disorders in patients with Alzheimer's disease, in both its "patient" and "caregiver" versions. Secondary objective : Evaluate the acceptability of the Spatial Orientation Questionnaire (SOC) in its "patient" and "caregiver" versions.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

330

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • France
      • Nancy, France, 54500
        • CHRU (Centre Hospitalier Régionale Universitaire) Nancy
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Thérèse JONVEAUX, Dr

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with Alzheimer disease and their caregivers

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For all subjects :

  • Native French speakers
  • Independent mobility: (minimum mobility range of 3 (i.e., neighborhood) on the LSA-F assessment of the mobility zone scale)
  • Person affiliated with a social security system or beneficiary of such a system

Patients (Subgroup A1) and healthy control subjects (Group C):

  • Individuals who have received complete information about the clinical research organization and have signed their written informed consent
  • Patients (Subgroups A2 and A3) and Companions (Group B) Individuals who have received complete information about the clinical research and have agreed to participate

Patients (group A):

  • Aged 55 to 85
  • Diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (NINCDR-ADRDA diagnostic criteria)
  • Score of 4 or less on the Hachinski Ischemic Scale
  • Score of 20 or higher on the Folstein MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination)
  • In the case of specific treatment for Alzheimer's disease (anticholinesterase and memantine treatments), treatment stability for > 15 days
  • Able to walk independently, i.e., without assistance, whether human or technical, except for a simple cane

Caregivers (group B):

  • Caregivers of a person with dementia included in group A, with regular contact (at least 10 hours per week, spread over a minimum of 3 times per week)
  • Healthy control subjects (group C):
  • Aged 55 to 85
  • Able to walk independently, i.e., without assistance, whether human or technical, except for a single cane
  • Normal performance on the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), according to GRECO (Cognitive Assessment Task Force) standards

Exclusion Criteria:

For all subjects:

  • Adults subject to legal protection measures (guardianship, curatorship, judicial protection)
  • Adults unable to give their consent
  • Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision, persons receiving psychiatric care pursuant to Articles L. 3212-1 and L. 3213-1.
  • Persons capable of giving consent but unable to read French
  • Persons capable of giving consent but unable to write
  • One of the members of the patient/caregiver dyad refusing to participate in the study.

Patients (subgroup A1) and healthy control subjects (group C):

  • Sensory or phasic deficit interfering with the task.
  • History of moderate or severe head trauma (with loss of consciousness).
  • Change in psychotropic treatment less than 48 hours before the tests
  • Chronic alcoholism
  • Severe depression (score greater than or equal to 10 on the GDS-15 Geriatric Depression Scale)
  • Presence of other clinically significant psychiatric or neurological conditions (except Alzheimer disease for case subjects)

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
Patients Group
Patients with Alzheimer disease
Diagnostic test: Questionnaire d'Orientation Spatiale (QOS)
French version of the wayfinding questionnaire
Accompanying persons
Relatives (friends or family) of patients with alzheimer disease
Diagnostic test: Questionnaire d'Orientation Spatiale (QOS)
French version of the wayfinding questionnaire
Control arm
Healthy participants
Diagnostic test: Questionnaire d'Orientation Spatiale (QOS)
French version of the wayfinding questionnaire

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
French version of the QOS Score
Time Frame: Baseline and between 30 and 90 days after baseline for groups A1, A2, A3, B1 and B2

There are three sub-scores in total :

  • "Navigation and Orientation" sub-score (sum of items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
  • "Distance estimation" sub-score (sum of items 4, 5, 14)
  • "Spatial anxiety" subs-core (sum of the reversed scores for items 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 21, 22, 12)

For these three sub-scores, a high score indicates a good level of spatial orientation.
Baseline and between 30 and 90 days after baseline for groups A1, A2, A3, B1 and B2

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Central Hospital, Nancy, 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 (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 26, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2019PI271
  • N°ID-RCB : 2025-A00441-48 (Other Identifier: ANSM (The National Agency for Drug and Health Product Safety))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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.

Clinical Trials on Spatial Orientation

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Taiwan

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe