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Nonverbal Communication in Aged People

Nonverbal Communication in Aged People With and Without Neurodegenerative Disease: Study of Sensorimotor Synchronization to Music

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04146688
Acronym
MAMUS
Enrollment
240
Registered
2019-10-31
Start date
2018-05-17
Completion date
2024-02-23
Last updated
2026-05-14

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

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease

Keywords

Music, Communication, Emotion, Behavior, Neurodegeneration disease

Brief summary

Musical interventions improve the emotional state of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) while having a positive impact on the caregiver's well-being. However, the factors that could be responsible for this positive effect remain unknown. Among these, the sensory-motor synchronization (SMS) of movements to the musical rhythm, frequently observed during musical activities and possible up to the advanced stages of AD, could modulate the emotional state. Several recent studies have shown that rhythmic training (or SMS) influences the organism at the motor, cognitive and social levels while activating the cerebral reward circuit. This action that generates pleasure also facilitates non-verbal emotional expression. However, the conditions that modulate SMS and their relationship to nonverbal communication, emotional, behavioral and cognitive state have not yet been studied in healthy or pathological elderly.

Interventions

OTHERMusic Balance Board

The SSM is measured with an innovative tool (Music Balance Board) developed at the University of Ghent (Belgium) and specially designed to record the movements of the elderly in a natural and comfortable position This chair is equipped with a tablet and sensors that record the movements of the hand and body during the SSM to a musical sequence. The analysis will focus on the difference between the participant's striking and the beat of the music measured using this chair.

Sponsors

University Hospital, Lille
Lead SponsorOTHER
France Alzheimer
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Cases : Patients with neurodegenerative disease (AD or related disease) * Native French Language * Corrected auditory and/or visual deficiency * Right-handed * Image rights consent signed by the patient Controls: People with no neuropathological disease * Native French Language * Corrected auditory and/or visual deficiency * Right-handed * Image rights consent signed by the control

Exclusion criteria

\-

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
measure of consistency (oppositive of variability)Baseline, before SMS taskmeasure of consistency (oppositive of variability) of the response corresponding to the length of a vector going from 0 (bad) to 1(very good response). This measure is completed by another measure of asynchrony.
measure of asynchrony.Baseline, before SMS taskThe asynchrony assess the accuracy of the movements in ms. If the participant anticipated the tap relative to the musical beat, the value is negative, if the participant delayed the tap, the value is positive. A perfect tap is 0 in this case

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Measurement of the Music Balance Board (cf. primary outcome) during music in the presence of a real experimenterBaseline, before SMS taskmeasure the quantity of movements derived from the variation of weight on the sensors below the platform in millivolts (mV)
Measurement of the Music Balance Board (cf. primary outcome) during music in the presence of a virtual experimenter;after SMS task, an average after 45 minmeasure the quantity of movements derived from the variation of weight on the sensors below the platform in millivolts (mV)
Measurement of the Music Balance Board (cf. primary outcome) during metronome in the presence of a real experimenterafter SMS task, an average after 45 minmeasure the quantity of movements derived from the variation of weight on the sensors below the platform in millivolts (mV)
Measurement of the Music Balance Board (cf. primary outcome) during metronome in the presence of a virtual experimenter.after SMS task, an average after 45 minmeasure the quantity of movements derived from the variation of weight on the sensors below the platform in millivolts (mV)
Decoding of non-verbal behaviors during the synchronization taskafter SMS task, an average after 45 minDecoding of non-verbal behavior during the synchronization task (rhythmic movements of the head, lips and lower limbs, visual contact) in duration (duration of the behavior/duration of the Condition expressed in seconds) by blind evaluators in the membership group.
Intensity of body movements (quantity of motion)after SMS task, an average after 45 minIntensity of body movements (quantity of motion) recorded by the motion sensors connected to the chair on which the patient sits. recorded during the SSM test and a filmed interview
STAI Anxiety Scale Scorethrough study completion, an average of 2 hoursThe State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a self-questionnaire, developed by Spielberger (7) and validated in French. It has 20 questions, assessing the subject's usual emotional state. A score is calculated, ranging from 20 to 80, a high score indicating the presence of anxiety.
Decoding of the frequency (number of behaviors / duration of the condition) of the facial expressionsthrough study completion, an average of 2 hoursthe facial expressions based on videoscopic recordings of the synchronization task and a short interview (5min) by blind evaluators of the home group.
Scale of Assessment of Daily Activitiesthrough study completion, an average of 2 hoursThe ADLs used measure of functional ability is the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale (Katz et al., 1963; Katx, 1983). In this scale, the set of tasks assessed are bathing, dressing, transferring, using the toilet, continence, and eating.
Scale of Instrumental Activities of Daily Livingthrough study completion, an average of 2 hoursThe Lawton IADL Scale takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to administer. It contains 8 items that are rated with a summary score from 0 (low functioning) to 8 (high functioning)
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) subscales Impact on the workload of the caregiver.through study completion, an average of 2 hourstotal NPI score is defined as the sum of the individual category scores. Higher scores on NPI indicate a more frequent and/or severe presence of neuropsychiatric behavioral changes. The following domains will be included in the subscore: Depression/Dysphoria, Anxiety, Apathy/Indifference, Irritability/Lability, Agitation/Aggression, and Disinhibition.
mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scorethrough study completion, an average of 2 hoursThe Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a brief 30-point questionnaire test that is used to screen for cognitive impairment. Scores on a scale range from 0 - 30. Scores 23 and below are indicative of problems.
Concentration of cortisol from saliva samplesOnce, at Day 1, baselinemeasure the saliva cortisol before and after the synchronization task

Countries

France

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORFrançois Puissieux, MD,PhD

University Hospital, Lille

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 15, 2026