Study of the Neural Basis of Analogical Reasoning

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
Frontal patients are impaired in categorisation and analogical reasoning tasks, and different functional imaging studies from our group have shown the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in categorisation and analogy tasks. The aim of this project is to test our hypotheses about the role of the prefrontal cortex in explicit and implicit categorisation and analogy tasks.

Official Title
-----------------
Organisation du Cortex préfrontal ventrolatéral Pour l'Analogie: Approche Bimodale Chez le Sujet Sain et Chez le Patient Ayant un Syndrome Frontal.

Conditions
-----------------
Frontotemporal Dementia, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Healthy Subjects

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Device: transcranial magnetic stimulation
* Other: MRI imaging
* Other: EEG recording
* Behavioral: Neuropsychological examination


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Healthy subjects: subject affiliated to national health insurance informed consent signed normal neurological examination subject aged at least 20 Patients: FTD or PSP diagnostic criteria filled patient affiliated to national health insurance informed consent signed Exclusion Criteria: Severe psychiatric symptomatology and psychotropic drug use unability to understand or perform the cognitive tasks.

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 20 Years
Maximum Age: 85 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: FTD (frontotemporal dementia) patients<br>fronto-temporal demential patients | Other: MRI imaging<br> <br> Other: EEG recording<br> <br> Behavioral: Neuropsychological examination<br> <br> |
| Experimental: PSP patients<br>progressive supra nuclear palsy patients | Other: MRI imaging<br> <br> Other: EEG recording<br> <br> Behavioral: Neuropsychological examination<br> <br> |
| Active Comparator: healthy controls<br>healthy control education matched, age matched and sex matched with PSP and FTD patients | Other: MRI imaging<br> <br> Other: EEG recording<br> <br> Behavioral: Neuropsychological examination<br> <br> |
| Experimental: healthy participants<br>healthy participants that will participate to the TMS study. | Device: transcranial magnetic stimulation<br> <br> Other: MRI imaging<br> <br> Other: EEG recording<br> <br> Behavioral: Neuropsychological examination<br> <br> |
| Experimental: healthy young participants<br>Healthy participants will be included for an EEG study | Other: EEG recording<br> <br> Behavioral: Neuropsychological examination<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Performance in the implicat task | Reaction time and accuracy will be registered for this categorization task. This task will be used in patients with FTD and in healthy controls (n=60). Participants will come only once during one day ot the research centre. | day of inclusion (one day) | 
| Performance in the Similitude task | Reaction time and accuracy will be recorded while healthy subjects perform this categorization task, after a session of rTMS or during on line TMS (n=40). Participants will come 3 to 5 times at the research centre in a maximum period of 4 months. | from inclusion to 4 months after inclusion | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| recording of EEG | EEG will be recorded in patients with FTD and in healthy controls for an analysis of event related potentials. Participants will come only once during one day a the research centre. | day of inclusion (one day) | 
| Analysis of MRI | T1 MRI will be recorded for VBM analysis in patients with FTD and healthy controls. Participants will come only once during one day at the research centre | day of inclusion (one day) |