Study of Electrophysiological Markers Related to the Cognitive and Affective Processes Behind Empathic Behaviour in Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorder

Disorders of social cognition, and empathy more specifically, are at the heart of schizophrenic pathology in that they are strongly linked to the social handicap of patients. It is therefore necessary to refine our knowledge of the cognitive and affective processes behind this empathic disorder and to identify objective and easily measurable markers (related to brain functioning collected by electroencephalography) of these processes with the subsequent aim of improving their management. It is also relevant to question the trait/status nature of these empathic disorders by studying these markers in individuals presenting more or less marked schizotypic traits and therefore more or less at risk of developing schizophrenia. Studying the possibility that empathy disorders may be part of the factors of developmental vulnerability for schizophrenia and identifying objective markers of this vulnerability could allow, in case of development of the pathology, a more rapid diagnosis and a more effective management.

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Key information

Conditions

Schizophrenia Mental Disorders Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Hôpital Pasteur - Service de Psychiatrie

Nice, 06001, France

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Bruno GIORDANA, PH

CONTACT

[email protected]

4.92.03.87.75 ext. +33

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Common to all: good command of the French language, right-handed.
Specific to patients: diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, clinical state stabilized according to the treating psychiatrist.

Exclusion criteria

Common to all: having suffered a head injury with loss of consciousness lasting more than 5 minutes, participating in another project at the time of the present study, presenting an addiction to a toxic substance (excluding tobacco), presenting a mental retardation or neurological disorder (verified by a pre-recruitment interview and the administration of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for control subjects and on the basis of the information in the medical file for patients).
Patient-specific: significant change (according to the doctor) in treatment in the previous month, currently hospitalized.
Specific to controls: taking a psychoactive drug, having a mental disorder, being first-degree related to a patient with a disorder other than schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Treatment and study plan

Evoked Related Potentials

Other

Evoked Related Potentials are measured by means of electroencephalography. During this measure, 2 informatic task will be performed to evaluated evoked related potentials.

Primary outcomes

Evoked Related Potentials

Time frame: On the first day

Amplitude of modulations of the electrophysiological signal

Study contacts

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

Bruno GIORDANA, PH

CONTACT

[email protected]

4.92.03.87.75 ext. +33

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice

Other

Registry information

Acronym: SchizoEmp

Important dates

Study start: 2020
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Feb 20, 2020
Registry last updated: Mar 24, 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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