Exploration of the Social Cognition in Adolescents With a Dissociative Disorder or Autism Spectrum
Condition: Schizophrenia; Autistic Disorder
MeSH terms: Schizophrenia; Autistic Disorder; Dissociative Disorders; Conversion Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The schizophrenic disorders and pervasive developmental disorders are neurodevelopmental
      disorders distinct origin who share common challenges to engage and maintain social
      relationships and mutual disturbances of affective contact. An important issue of research is
      to determine the cognitive and brain mechanisms underlying social disability in these two
      pathologies. Several lines of social cognition have been systematically explored: the
      perception of emotions, the ability to attribute intentionality and mental states to others
      (theory of mind), the understanding of social situations in different contexts. We made the
      observation today that research findings clearly in the field of autism and schizophrenic
      disorders that converge on common patterns neurocognitive abnormalities. Consequently, many
      programs support published today use the same therapeutic targets and the same tools in both
      pathologies. This raises two questions of science: (1) whether the disorders of social
      cognition reported in the field of autism and schizophrenia are "specific deficit" and not
      "specific condition", that is to say they are inherent social disadvantage whatever condition
      or (2) if these disorders of social cognition is a pattern common to autism and schizophrenia
      but are the result of specific neurocognitive mechanisms and different in each these
      pathologies. Systematic exploration of these issues is a current issue for understanding the
      pathophysiological borders between the two neurodevelopmental disorders but also to better
      define the potential targets of therapeutic strategies, psycho-educational and remediation of
      disorders of social cognition in autism and schizophrenia.

      Main objective: To compare clinical cognitive profiles in adolescents with a schizophrenic
      disorder, autistic or healthy in the three areas of social cognition: perception of emotions,
      attribution of intentions to others (theory of mind) and style attribution. We shall
      constitute three population groups of patients, a group of patients meeting the diagnosis of
      schizophrenia, a group of patients with autism and a control group (healthy subjects).
    

Detailed description: 
      The schizophrenic disorders and pervasive developmental disorders are neurodevelopmental
      disorders distinct origin who share common challenges to engage and maintain social
      relationships and mutual disturbances of affective contact. An important issue of research is
      to determine the cognitive and brain mechanisms underlying social disability in these two
      pathologies. Several lines of social cognition have been systematically explored: the
      perception of emotions, the ability to attribute intentionality and mental states to others
      (theory of mind), the understanding of social situations in different contexts. We made the
      observation today that research findings clearly in the field of autism and schizophrenic
      disorders that converge on common patterns neurocognitive abnormalities. Consequently, many
      programs support published today use the same therapeutic targets and the same tools in both
      pathologies. This raises two questions of science: (1) whether the disorders of social
      cognition reported in the field of autism and schizophrenia are "specific deficit" and not
      "specific condition", that is to say they are inherent social disadvantage whatever condition
      or (2) if these disorders of social cognition is a pattern common to autism and schizophrenia
      but are the result of specific neurocognitive mechanisms and different in each these
      pathologies. Systematic exploration of these issues is a current issue for understanding the
      pathophysiological borders between the two neurodevelopmental disorders but also to better
      define the potential targets of therapeutic strategies, psycho-educational and remediation of
      disorders of social cognition in autism and schizophrenia.

      Main objective: To compare clinical cognitive profiles in adolescents with a schizophrenic
      disorder, autistic or healthy in the three areas of social cognition: perception of emotions,
      attribution of intentions to others (theory of mind) and style attribution. We shall
      constitute three population groups of patients, a group of patients meeting the diagnosis of
      schizophrenia, a group of patients with autism and a control group (healthy subjects).

      Inclusion criteria: patients aged 12 to 18, with a verbal IQ greater than or equal to 70, a
      DSM-IV diagnosis of autism and / or schizophrenia.

      Assessment instruments: (1) clinical assessment instruments using standardized structured
      interviews that have already shown good sensitivity in our preliminary studies (2) techniques
      neuro-social cognition scientifically validated by the expert group of the ANR we are
      partners.

      The study of active files and preliminary results, we can estimate the population to 20
      patients per group, a total of 60 patients.

      The originality of this study focuses on the ability to compare two populations in the same
      field of social cognition in three dimensions, which hitherto have been explored separately
      in the literature. The expected results are a range of prevention and treatment of major
      psychiatric children and adolescents because they help define therapeutic targets specific to
      each population
    

Intervention name(s): Facial recognition of emotions; understanding metaphors; Attribution of intentionality to others in social situations depending on the type of situation
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The purpose is to consider the recognition of emotions expressed on face in patients with a schizophrenic disorder, autism and in healthy subjects.; Explore understanding of figurative language, including metaphor, in schizophrenic patients, autistic and healthy, and well understand how patients develop an interpretation from access to speaker's communicative intentionality (theory mind).; Compare the style of attribution of intentions in three populations of subjects: schizophrenic, autistic and healthy.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Keywords: Schizophrenia; Autistic Disorder; social cognition