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NCT Number: NCT06828471

Social Cognition Training in Individuals With Huntington's Disease

Individuals with Huntington's Disease have impaired social cognition, which is the domain of cognition that allows individuals to understand others' perspectives so that they can navigate interpersonal actions successfully (e.g., understanding someone may be sad based of their facial emotion or tone of voice and then responding in a sympathetic manner). Impaired social cognition is associated with impaired social functioning, poor psychological wellbeing and increased caregiver burden, which is known to be significant among those who care for individuals with Huntington's Disease. Computerized social cognition training has been shown to improve social cognition in individuals with schizophrenia, who, like individuals with Huntington's disease, have cognitive impairments. The investigators propose a pilot study of computerized social cognition training in individuals with Huntington's disease. This will be a feasibility study that aims to show that social cognition training in HD can be studied in preparation for a larger randomized controlled trial. The investigators hypothesize that social cognition training can improve social cognition, social functioning, and quality of life in individuals with Huntington's Disease and decrease caregiver burden among those who care for individuals with Huntington's Disease.

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Key information

Conditions

Huntington's Disease (HD) Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Caregiver Burden Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Rush University Medical Center

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Samantha Patel, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Tyler Svymbersky

CONTACT

[email protected]

312-563-0676

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

for Individual with Huntington's Disease

  • Diagnosed with Huntington's Disease based on genetic testing
  • Must be between 18 and 65 years of age
  • Native English speaker who is literate in English
  • Stable psychotropic medication regimen for 4 weeks
  • Must have a score of "somewhat easily" on all items in the CPQ-12
  • MOCA >18
  • Completed 12 years of schooling
  • Access to laptop or mobile device
  • Willingness to come in person 6-12 weeks after first visit

Inclusion criteria

for Caregiver of Individual with Huntington's Disease

  • Lives with patient
  • Must be between 18 and 65 years of age
  • Native English speaker who is literate in English
  • MOCA >26
  • Willingness to come in person within 6-12 weeks after first visit

Exclusion criteria

for Individual with Huntington's Disease

  • Any known neurological condition (other than Huntington's Disease).
  • History of learning and/or intellectual disabilities
  • Currently actively involved in any other interventional trial (i.e. have begun the intervention) or within 4 weeks of completing the final assessments of an interventional trial.
  • Currently regularly completing a computerized cognitive training intervention.
  • Active suicidal ideation with some intent

Exclusion criteria

for Caregiver of Individual with Huntington's Disease

  • Inability to provide informed consent
  • Active suicidal ideation with some intent

Treatment and study plan

Social Cognition Training

Behavioral

Neuroplasticity-based social cognition training that targets a range of social cognition skills, including visual and vocal affect perception, social cue perception, theory of mind, self-referential style, and empathy

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of participants willing to consider study out of those who have been approached

    Time frame: 32 months

  2. Number of participants who adhered and completed the study

    Time frame: 32 months

  3. Ease of program on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being "very easy."

    Time frame: 32 months

  4. Participant satisfaction with the program

    Time frame: 32 months

    This will be a qualitative measure. The study staff will elicit from the participants what they liked about the program, what they did not like about the program, and what they would change about the program if they could.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in accuracy on a facial emotion recognition task

    Time frame: 6-12 weeks

  2. Change in accuracy on an empathic accuracy task

    Time frame: 6-12 weeks

    Participants view videos of individuals describing significant life events. Throughout the videos the participant are asked questions about the thoughts and feelings of the individual in the video.

  3. Change in score on the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities (scores range from 45 to 225; higher score indicates better outcome)

    Time frame: 6-12 weeks

  4. Change in score on the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities Questionnaire (scores range from 45 to 225; higher score indicates better outcome)

    Time frame: 6-12 weeks

  5. Change in score on the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Positive Affect and Wellbeing Questionnaire (scores range from 23 to 115; higher score indicates better outcome)

    Time frame: 6-12 weeks

  6. Change in score on the Caregiver Burden Inventory (scores range from 0-96; lower score indicates better outcome)

    Time frame: 6-12 weeks

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Tyler Svymbersky

CONTACT

[email protected]

312-563-0676

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Rush University Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Social Cognition Training in Individuals With Huntington's Disease: A Feasibility Study

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Feb 14, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 10, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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