The Effects of Anger and Joy Expressions on Approach and Avoidance Behaviors in Healthy Volunteers

Major Depressive Episode Clinical Trial

Official title:

Behavioral Adaptation to Negative and Positive Social Signals in Healthy Volunteers

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04899609
• Other study ID #: RECHMPL21_0304
• Status: Recruiting
• Start date: June 1, 2021
• Est. completion date: December 30, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: September 2021
• Source: University Hospital, Montpellier
• Contact: Emilie Olie, MD PhD
• Phone: +33 4 67 33 85 81
• Email: e-olie[@]chu-montpellier.fr
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Social interactions are part of our daily lives. Communicating with others is a recurring choice which is based on emotional cues, such as facial expression. Our action must be adapted to the emotional state of our interlocutor, otherwise the investigators will have poor quality interactions An emotional stimulus would cause a conditioned response (innate reaction). Thus, the presence of an angry person would automatically trigger flight behavior. More recently, however, it has been envisioned that this same avoidance behavior could be the result of a goal-directed behvior. In this case, the avoidance behavior would be the result of an evaluation of the consequences of the selected action. These goal-directed behaviors are guided by a mental representation of consequences The project aims to study behavioral choices (approach and avoidance) in response to negative and positive social cues (anger and joy) in 40 healthy volunteers using a computerized neuropsychological task, and to determine wheter these choices are the result of goal-directed behavior.

The study also aims to assess the modulation of behavioral adaptation by the level of impulsivity, lonilness, empathy, and by the capcity to understand others' intenstions.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 40
• Est. completion date: December 30, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: June 1, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria:

• Being between 18 and 65 years old

• Absence of psychiatric pathology over the entire life

• Being able to understand the nature, purpose and methodology of the study

Exclusion criteria:

• Mental retardation or sever medical co-morbidity

• Sensory or cognitive disability

• Pregnant or breastfeeding woman

• Protection by law (guardianship or curatorship)

• Deprivation of liberty (by judicial or administrative decision)

• Exclusion period in relation to another protocol

• Inability to understand, speak and write French

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Major Depressive Episode

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
France	University hospital	Montpellier

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University Hospital, Montpellier

Country where clinical trial is conducted

France, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Percentage of approach and avoidance behavior in response to positive (joy) and negative (anger) social signals	Calculation of the proportion of avoidance vs. approach choices	1 day
Secondary	Response time	Computerized measurement of reaction time before clicking to make the avoidance or approach choice	1 day