Facial Expression Recognition and Mirror Neurons in Parkinson's Disease

University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Parkinson's Disease

Treatments

Behavioral: Emotional facial expression recognition tests

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01315405

CHU-0090

Details and patient eligibility

About

After few years of evolution, patients with Parkinson's disease may develop apathy, with different degrees of severity. Apathy is characterized by a loss of interest for the others and for activities. The lack of social interactions in these patients may be due to an impairment in decoding emotional facial expression. Indeed, facial expression recognition, which is necessary to understand other's emotional state, requires a subclinical facial mimicking of the expression observed. Yet, one of the clinical signs of PD is amimia.

This study aims to determinate if there is a facial mimicry disorder in PD ( Parkinson's disease )patients with emotional facial expression (EFE) recognition impairment, compared to healthy control subjects. We also want to know if this facial mimicry disorder is primary (subtended by facial mobility impairment, that is to say amimia) or secondary (related to the mirror neuron systems that allows us to activate similar neural networks when observing and feeling a specific emotion)

Full description

20 patients with an Idiopathic Parkinson's disease

20 paired healthy volunteers (on sex, age, and education)

After inclusion, patients are evaluated two times: they are studied without medication (MED OFF) and with medication (STIM ON) in a randomized order. The 2 evaluations should be spaced out 15 days to one month (J0 and J+15d)

Healthy subjects have only one visit J0 (inclusion and emotional facial expression recognition tests are made at the same time)

Enrollment

20 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 75 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease according to UKPDSBB criteria - Men or women aged between 18 to 75 years
Free from any visio-perceptive disorder (visual acuity and Vitec)
Affiliated to National Health system
Having given their informed consent

--Healthy controls
Men or women aged between 18 to 75 years
Free from any visio-perceptive disorder (visual acuity and Vitec)
Affiliated to National Health system
Having given their informed consent

Exclusion criteria

With dementia or with significant dysexecutive disorder (MMS <24, MATTIS< 130)
With fluctuations (<5 Levodopa intakes / day)
With severe depression (BDI > 27)
With psychiatric comorbidities (hallucinations, psychos) evaluated with l'Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale part I (UPDRS part I =0)
With faces processing disorder (Benton < 39)
Pregnant
Treatment with deep brain stimulation
Under guardianship
In excluding period for another study

--Healthy controls
Suffering of neurological or psychiatric evolutive condition
With severe depression (BDI > 27)
With faces processing disorder (Benton < 39)
Pregnant
In excluding period for another study