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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05916677

Virtual Reality-training in Theory of Mind in the Childhood Form of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1

The ability of an individual to conceive some alternative representations and to behave in a flexible manner would emerge from preschool age and drastically improve between the ages of 3 and 5 (Doebel and Zelazo, 2013). They constitute, according to Diamond (2013), a prerequisite for the development of the Theory of Mind (ToM). Deficits in Executive Functions (EF) may therefore interfere with the child's ability to understand and adapt to social situations.

Treatment failures are often observed when traditional cognitive tools are used. This would be linked to the divergence between non-immersive tests and situations encountered in everyday life (Damasio, 1994; Priore Castelnuovo and Liccione, 2002). For this reason, an increasing number of researchers are using virtual reality for the rehabilitation of executive functions and Theory of Mind in patients with neurodevelopmental pathology (Millen, Edlin-White and Cobb, 2010) or brain damage (Le Gall, Besnard, Louisy, Richard and Allain 2008). There is currently no systematic evaluation of ToM in children with the infantile form of DM1 even though these abilities are considered particularly vulnerable and have a decisive impact on the subsequent development of interpersonal relationships.

This research will focus on studying the socio-emotional disorders associated with the infantile form of Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1). The axis that we propose to develop more specifically will be an interventional study with the aim of remediation with children from 5 to 16 years old suffering from the infantile form of DM1 via a training protocol in low-immersion Virtual Reality (VR) centered on emotional processing and theory of mind.

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Key information

Conditions

Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Genetic Diseases, Inborn Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System Muscular Diseases Muscular Disorders, Atrophic Muscular Dystrophies Musculoskeletal Diseases Myotonic Disorders Myotonic Dystrophy Nervous System Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Neuromuscular Diseases

Age range

6 year–16 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Institut de Psychologie

Boulogne-Billancourt, 92000, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • 6 years and < 16 years of age
  • Written informed consent
  • Affiliate or beneficiary of a social security scheme
  • Able to comply with all protocol requirements
  • Infantile form of DM1 with molecular confirmation.
  • Development without incident in the first year
  • Normal development in the pre and neonatal period
  • Native language French

Exclusion criteria

  • Unable to participate in the study
  • Inability to comply with protocol requirements
  • Congenital form of DM1
  • IQ<70 (Intellectual Disability)

Treatment and study plan

Virtual Reality-training in Theory of Mind

Other

Two social scenarios will be used in a virtual environement. Experimenter and subject participate in the scenario as friends of the main character, Nicolas. During the training session, experimenter asks structured questions about participant's awareness of a mental state. In the case of a wrong answer, a feedback-correction is provided via the avatar's thought bubbles. The participant has access to all avatars thought bubbles. In this way, he is able to compare the desires, beliefs or false beliefs of each story character.

Participants included in this condition will also have an eye-tracking assessment before and after the training procedure.

Traditional training in Theory of Mind

Other

The same two social scenarios are presented to the participant in a story-telling form. Participant has access to thought bubbles via an illustrated book. These trainings will take place in the same number of sessions and took place for a duration equivalent to those used in low immersion Virtual Reality mode. Each training session (EFB, BE, SOFB, ERA, FP, EFP) will be illustrated via visual aids taken from screenshots of the two virtual environments and the target protagonists.

Primary outcomes

  1. NEPSY II

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 weeks

    Emotion Recognition and Standardized ToM

Secondary outcomes

  1. WISC-V

    Time frame: Through study completion, on average 5 weeks

    Wechsler Scale is the international benchmark for measuring children's intelligence

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Institut de Myologie, France

Other

Registry information

Acronym: TOM-VR-DM1

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jun 23, 2023
Registry last updated
Jun 29, 2026

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

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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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