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Facial Expression Recognition and Mirror Neurons in Parkinson's Disease

Do Facial Expression Recognition Disorder and Mirror Neurons Subtend Apathy in Parkinson's Disease?

Status
UNKNOWN
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01315405
Enrollment
20
Registered
2011-03-15
Start date
2010-07-31
Completion date
2013-07-31
Last updated
2011-03-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Parkinson's Disease

Keywords

Emotional facial expression, Apathy, Mirror neurons

Brief summary

After few years of evolution, patients with Parkinson's disease may develop apathy, with different degrees of severity. Apathy is characterized by a loss of interest for the others and for activities. The lack of social interactions in these patients may be due to an impairment in decoding emotional facial expression. Indeed, facial expression recognition, which is necessary to understand other's emotional state, requires a subclinical facial mimicking of the expression observed. Yet, one of the clinical signs of PD is amimia. This study aims to determinate if there is a facial mimicry disorder in PD ( Parkinson's disease )patients with emotional facial expression (EFE) recognition impairment, compared to healthy control subjects. We also want to know if this facial mimicry disorder is primary (subtended by facial mobility impairment, that is to say amimia) or secondary (related to the mirror neuron systems that allows us to activate similar neural networks when observing and feeling a specific emotion)

Detailed description

20 patients with an Idiopathic Parkinson's disease \+ 20 paired healthy volunteers (on sex, age, and education) After inclusion, patients are evaluated two times: they are studied without medication (MED OFF) and with medication (STIM ON) in a randomized order. The 2 evaluations should be spaced out 15 days to one month (J0 and J+15d) Healthy subjects have only one visit J0 (inclusion and emotional facial expression recognition tests are made at the same time)

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEmotional facial expression recognition tests

20 patients with an Idiopathic Parkinson's disease \+ 20 paired healthy volunteers (on sex, age, and education) After inclusion, patients are evaluated two times: they are studied without medication (MED OFF) and with medication (STIM ON) in a randomized order. The 2 evaluations should be spaced out 15 days to one month (J0 and J+15d) Healthy subjects have only one visit J0 (inclusion and emotional facial expression recognition tests are made at the same time)

Sponsors

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease according to UKPDSBB criteria - Men or women aged between 18 to 75 years * Free from any visio-perceptive disorder (visual acuity and Vitec) * Affiliated to National Health system * Having given their informed consent --Healthy controls * Men or women aged between 18 to 75 years * Free from any visio-perceptive disorder (visual acuity and Vitec) * Affiliated to National Health system * Having given their informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* With dementia or with significant dysexecutive disorder (MMS \<24, MATTIS\< 130) * With fluctuations (\<5 Levodopa intakes / day) * With severe depression (BDI \> 27) * With psychiatric comorbidities (hallucinations, psychos) evaluated with l'Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale part I (UPDRS part I =0) * With faces processing disorder (Benton \< 39) * Pregnant * Treatment with deep brain stimulation * Under guardianship * In excluding period for another study --Healthy controls * Suffering of neurological or psychiatric evolutive condition * With severe depression (BDI \> 27) * With faces processing disorder (Benton \< 39) * Pregnant * In excluding period for another study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional facial expression recognition testsat J0 and at J+15 days

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during voluntary facial mimickingat J0 and at J+15days
Measurement of facial electromyographic activity during emotional movies viewingMade at J0 and at J+15days
Measurement of Empathy (Baron-Cohen), Apathy (Starkstein)Made at J0 and at J+15days
Measurement of the effect of Levodopa on these parametersMade at J0 and at J+15days

Countries

France

Contacts

Primary ContactPatrick LACARIN
placarin@chu-clermontferrand.fr04 73 75 11 95

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026