View clinical trials related to Social Cognition.
Filter by:The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of executive functions (EFs) and social-cognitive abilities on the associations between autistic traits and mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, and stress). Moreover, the study will produce online training modules for executive functions and social cognition, aimed at reducing the likelihood of adverse mental health outcomes in individuals with and without elevated autistic traits. Therefore, four main hypotheses will be addressed: 1. Revealing the mediating role of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory) will help predict the association between autistic traits and mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, and stress). 2. Revealing the mediating role of social cognitive skills (cognitive empathy and affective empathy) will help predict the association between autistic traits and mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, and stress). 3. Online training in executive functions and social cognitive skills will help develop executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) and social cognitive skills (cognitive empathy and affective empathy) in the current sample. 4. Online training in executive functions and social cognitive skills will promote mental health by reducing distress, depression, and anxiety symptoms in the current sample. Participants will be between the ages of 18-35 because previous findings indicate that the age of onset of various mental health problems is between the ages of 17 and 35. Participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Using a longitudinal design including pre-test, post-test, and follow-up conditions to test the effectiveness of combined EFs and social cognition online training for mental health symptoms.
The study of higher cognitive functions (learning, memory, language, reasoning, decision making) in humans constitutes an interdisciplinary field, which combines neurobiological and neurological, neuropsychological, as well as linguistic and artificial intelligence skills. Historically, the study of patients with cerebrovascular lesions or brain pathologies associated with primary and/or cognitive deficits has produced fundamental knowledge in this area. The development of modern non-invasive investigation techniques of the human brain - such as Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Positron emission (PET), the study of event-related electrophysiological potentials (ERP) or magneto-encephalography (MEG) - has made it possible to carry out similar studies on healthy subjects, as well as the in-vivo analysis of adaptive and plastic mechanisms of the human brain. Recently, the interest of cognitive neuroscience - this is the name taken by this vast interdisciplinary sector which aims to understand the neural mechanisms underlying human cognitive processes - has been oriented towards the study of decision making in social contexts. Knowledge of the mechanisms underlying these processes is fundamental for the most complete description of the biological bases of human behavior and above all for the optimal development of treatments for brain pathologies, whether surgical, pharmacological or rehabilitation in general.
The facial emotion recognition is a basic social skill for successful social interactions. Several meta-analyses and recent studies found impairments of the perception of facial emotions in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder. Few studies compared recognition of facial emotions impairments during euthymia in patients with bipolar disorder type 1 and 2. These studies included low population samples (N<60). There were discrepancies in results of these studies. Szanto suggested that facial emotion recognition impairments were correlated with suicidal risk and social isolation. These impairments should be taking into account regarding psycho-social treatments in patients with bipolar disorder. This study aims to evaluate facial emotion recognition in patients with bipolar I and II disorders compared to healthy controls, using the facial emotion recognition test (TREF). The objective of the present study is to compare TREF scores in a group of patients with bipolar 1, a group of patients with bipolar 2 disorder and a group with healthy controls. In addition, the investigators will investigate the relationships between TREF scores and levels of self-esteem and mental well-being.
Randomized controlled trial. Sixty-five participants (83% with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) were recruited from community mental health teams. Fifty-seven met criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The conditions of cognitive rehabilitation were assigned randomly with support employment CR + IPS (n = 28) and IPS alone (n = 29). Cogpack program was used. Two groups were followed at 8 and 12 months after the baseline.
Narcolepsy is a chronic disabling neurologic disorder mainly characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness. Type 1 narcolepsy is associated with a deficit of hypocretin in the cerebrospinal fluid responsible for the cataplexy symptom while type 2 shows a normal hypocretin level and no cataplexy. While the development of narcolepsy is independent of parental social level, narcolepsy has a significant influence on educational level, grading, social outcome, and welfare consequences. Several studies assessed global cognition efficiency, mood, and attention in narcoleptic patients but only a few specifically measured social cognition and mostly without a control group. In a population of narcoleptics children, a severe impairment in social cognition is described for 20% of the group, contrary to 2 % for the control group. The literature also depicts some impairments in decision making, somatic and cognitive emotions responses but the emotion recognition seems to be preserved. A better understanding of the social and cognitive aspects of narcolepsy could lead to a better treatment of the disease in its entirety, including if relevant specific cognitive behavioural therapy. The protocol consists in a psychometric evaluation including several questionnaires in order to assess social cognition. It will be proposed to patients with type 1 or type 2 narcolepsy and patients with idiopathic hypersomnia.
Antipsychotic medication shows generally good effect sizes when looking at reduction of positive psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as paranoia or delusion. However, social functioning often remains deficient in patients, meaning dopamine-receptor antagonists are not sufficient in treatment of people with schizophrenia. A naturalistic video-based paradigm, named MASC has been used in the past to model over- and undermentalizing in patients with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, since deficits in mentalizing can be explained by either overinterpreting a social situation (e.g. paranoid thoughts about intentions of others towards self) or by lacking the skill to read intentions of others. To find out whether experimental manipulation via a non-competetive N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist can induce difficulties with social cognition similar to those observed in people with schizophrenia, the investigators will conduct a RCT applying either ketamine or a placebo intravenously while participants are completing the above mentioned mentalizing task in the fMRI-scanner.
Most studies use static visual percepts that are less representative of joint attention versus an ecological environment. This has the consequence of decreasing the perception of an interaction with a social partner, which is an essential step in achieving joint attention. The originality of this study is to improve the design of visual percepts (in the form of video) in order to mimic an ecological environment as much as possible by using MRI-ET coupling. The second originality of this study is the longitudinal exploration of the neurodevelopment of social cognition in autistic children. Studies by the Redcay and Oberwelland teams observe different activations at different ages. The hypothesis is that the perception of joint attention varies over time in people with ASD. To date, there are no studies to determine the influence of childhood neurodevelopment in autistic people on the perception of joint attention. It would be unprecedented to use the MRI-ET pairing as a tool for assessing social cognition as a function of the development of children with ASD.
The aim of the study is to explore the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on either the right tempo-parietal junction (rTPJ) or the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) in healthy older adults (replication in a different sample of a study by Martin et al., 2020).
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Charcot disease, is a neurodegenerative disease evidenced by gradual paralysis of the muscles involved in voluntary motor function. The clinical hallmark of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is the combination of upper and lower motor neuron signs and symptoms. The most recent studies suggest that up to 50% of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients demonstrate mild to moderate cognitive disturbance. Impaired social cognition, including a deficit in the recognition of facial emotions and the identification of vocal prosody, is recognized as a part of the cognitive phenotype of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, with crucial implications for patients' and caregivers' training. However, studies remain scarce and the data acquired must be supported. The evolution of these manifestations during the disease is still poorly understood. In this study the investigators aim to assess the social cognition capacities of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis compared to healthy matched control subjects.
Turner syndrome (TS) is a rare chromosomal disorder characterized by partial or complete loss of one of the X chromosomes that affects about one in every 2000 female babies born. These young patients described difficulties making friends, understanding others' emotions and intentions, and controlling their own emotions. Difficulties in these domains could led to social withdrawal, to reduced social skills and could have a significant impact on self esteem and mental health as well as on long-term academic and social functioning in affected individuals. The purpose of this project is to identify functional and dysfunctional cognitive and socio-cognitive abilities in these young patients which could account social difficulties described by some of them and their family. To this end, 35 girls with TS and 35 girls with isolated growth hormone deficiency and normal cerebral MRI will be recruited. Subjects will be 7 to 16 years and 11 months of age. Socio-cognitive and cognitive functions will be assessed with neuropsychological and experimental tasks. Questionnaires completed by patient, parents or teacher, will evaluate social and behavioral functioning.