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Assessment of Empathetic Process by Scanpath Study of an Artwork

Theory of Mind, Empathy and Eye Gaze Strategies During an Artwork Observation in Neurodegenerative Pathologies.

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04665622
Acronym
EYE-EMPATH
Enrollment
70
Registered
2020-12-11
Start date
2016-04-01
Completion date
2019-12-31
Last updated
2022-03-09

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

Conditions

Alzheimer Dementia, Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Eye-Tracking, Empathy, Social cognition, Theory of Mind, Scanpath, Gaze

Brief summary

Analysis of gaze patterns during social cognition tasks and standardised exploration of a specific artwork, between elderly subjects without cognitive disorders and subjects with neurodegenerative diseases such as Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Alzheimer's Dementia or Parkinson's Disease

Interventions

OTHEREye-Tracking / Neuropsychological evaluations

Use of Eye-Tracking / Neuropsychological évaluations in 4 groups

Sponsors

Association de Recherche Bibliographique pour les Neurosciences
CollaboratorOTHER
Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

A monocentric prospective, descriptive, comparative study.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Male or Female. * 60 years old and above. * Sufficient written and oral expression in French. * Benefit from French or Monaco Social security. * Written informed consent signed by the patient. * For the control group: voluntary subjects, without cognitive impairment. * For the FTD / AD / PD groups: patients diagnosed with one of these diseases, and volunteers to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

* General anaesthesia within 3 months. * Ophthalmological problems preventing a video-oculography examination. * Oculomotor disorders such as fixation disorders or ocular tracking disorders. * History of stroke. * Cognitive disorders of the type: visual agnosia, visuo-spatial disorder, visuo-perceptual disorder or aphasia.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
1. Gaze patternsbaselineComparison of gaze patterns between the control group and the pathological groups, during standardized exploration of a specific artwork. Evaluation criteria: difference in the number of fixation
2.Gaze PatternsBaselineComparison of gaze patterns between the control group and the pathological groups, during standardized exploration of a specific artwork. Evaluation criteria: difference in exploration strategy (chronology) on target areas.
3.Gaze PatternsBaselineComparison of gaze patterns between the control group and the pathological groups, during standardized exploration of a specific artwork. Evaluation criteria: difference in time spent on target areas.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Affective ToM (Score 3)BaselineAt observation, 1 and 2, subject must attribute an emotion to the character represented on the artwork, choosing an answer among 6 propositions: 3 negative mental states, 2 neutral and 1 positive. Score 3 rating : 2 points if a negative emotion is attributed to the 1st and 2nd observation; 1 point if the negative emotion is attributed only to the 2nd observation; 0.5 point if the negative emotion is attributed only to the 1st observation; 0 point if no negative emotion is attributed.
Affective ToM : The Reading the Mind in the Eye test - RME - (Baron-Cohen S at al., 2001)BaselineThe task consisted of 36 black-and-white photographs of the eye area of faces. Subject is asked to choose which word, among four options, best described what the character in the photograph was thinking or feeling. Total score (/36) and three emotional valence sub-scores: positive (/8), neutral (/16) and negative (/12) according to the procedure described by Harkness et al., 2005. RME is used as reference test for correlation study with Score 3.
Cognitive Theory of mind during an artwork observation: Score 1BaselineSubject's estimation of the distance perceived by the character represented on the artwork, at a 1st and a 2nd observation of the painting. Score 1 is the ratio of estimated distances (distance2/distance1).
Affective empathy: The Empathy Quotient (EQ).BaselineSelf-administered questionnaire of 40 questions. Participant must choose one of the four propositions (strongly agree, tend to agree, tend to disagree, strongly disagree) awarding 0, 1 or 2 points. Total Score / 60. EQ is used as reference test for correlation study with Score 4.
Affective empathy: Score 4.BaselineIntensity of the emotion felt by the participant following observation of the table, using an EVA scale \[0-10\].
Cognitive Theory of mind during an artwork observation: Score 2BaselineSubject's estimation of the time perceived by the character represented on the artwork, at a 1st and a 2nd observation of the painting. Score 2 is the ratio of estimated times (time2 / time1).
Cognitive Theory of mind: TOM-15 a false-belief task to assess cognitive theory of mindBaselineThe task presents 15 stories. The subject must answer the question asked by choosing among two propositions, the correct answer consisting in attributing the correct belief to the character represented. Total score (/ 15). ToM 15 is used as reference test for correlation study with score1 and score 2.

Countries

Monaco

Outcome results

None listed

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