Clinical trial NCT04806217: Nature of the Link Between Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Multiple Sclerosis
Official title: Nature of the Link Between Executive Functions and Theory of Mind in Multiple Sclerosis
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis
Theory of Mind
Nonverbal false belief task
Cognitive functions
Inhibition and inference abilities
Lead sponsor: Lille Catholic University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-03-19
Enrollment: 40
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: DIAGNOSTIC

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to explore inhibition and inference abilities in The Theory of Mind skills in multiple sclerosis patients using the Theory of Mind task.

Detailed description: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It can cause lesions responsible for motor, ocular, sensory and cognitive symptoms.

The Theory of Mind and the primary facial emotions recognition (anger, joy, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust) are two processes of social cognition that play a role in the social interactions and social reasoning. The Theory of Mind is defined by the ability to understand the other person including thoughts, beliefs and desires that are unique and that may be different from our own.

In multiple sclerosis, difficulties in social cognition are associated with cognitive disorders, (even if the link with a deficit in executive functions remains debated). Indeed, when attributing a mental state to another person is needed,it is mandatory to put ourselves in the other person's place to adopt another perspective. Thus, several executive functions are required: working memory to maintain and manipulate several perspectives, flexibility to switch from one perspective to another one, and finally the inhibition of our own perspective to adopt the other's point of view.

The Theory of Mind's assessment uses nonverbal false belief task which assesses the ability to inhibit its own perspective to infer the mental state of another and the ability to change its perspective to adopt another's.

Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore inhibition and inference abilities in The Theory of Mind skills in multiple sclerosis patients using the Theory of Mind task.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

People :

* With multiple sclerosis
* Age ≥ 18 years old
* Not objecting to the use of their data

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any associated neurological pathology or severe or chronic somatic disease (cancer)
* Visual and/or auditory disorders that do not allow for test taking
* Uncontrolled major psychiatric disorders
* Recent treatment with corticosteroids (less than 4 weeks before the evaluation)
* Patients under guardianship, curatorship or safeguard of justice
* Pregnant women

Primary outcomes:
measure: Number of correct answers to the "unknown reality" false belief tasks
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Number of correct answers to the "known reality" false belief tasks
timeFrame: Day 0
Secondary outcomes:
measure: California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Brief Visuo-spatial Memory Test (BVMT)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Stroop test
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Trail Making test
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Verbal fluency test
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Verbal fluency test
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
timeFrame: Day 0
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul, Lille
name: Bruno Lenne
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: