Auditory Processes and Emotional Perception in Schizophrenia (NCT04768335) | Clinical Trial Compass
CompletedNot Applicable
Auditory Processes and Emotional Perception in Schizophrenia
France50 participantsStarted 2021-03-31
Plain-language summary
Schizophrenia is a mental illness with a variety of clinical symptoms that can be regrouped into 2 categories: positive and negative symptoms.
This mental illness is also characterised by cognitive alterations in various fields, including social cognition difficulties and self / non-self-discrimination difficulties.
Self and non-self-discrimination abilities have been regrouped under a function called source memory. This source memory enables a person to identify the source of an information previously encoded. In our everyday life, these processes are necessary to distinguish events generated by an external source from imagined events. It is called reality monitoring.
A number of studies have evidenced reality-monitoring alterations in patients suffering from schizophrenia. More specifically, patients would present with an externalisation bias, they would assign more imagined events to an external source. The knowledge of these deficits encourages the study of the processes involved in order to better understand the alterations, particularly including auditory processes. A recent study has shown that discrimination errors concerning certain sound characteristics (e.g. frequency) were associated to reality monitoring errors. However, the links between reality-monitoring and basic auditory processes have rarely been explored.
The dysfunction of the auditory "where" path, especially the possibility to discriminate between the intra and extra cephalic localisation of sounds, could lead to difficulties to discern between what is produced by one self and what is produced by another or the local environment.
Who can participate
Age range
18 Years – 65 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Inclusion Criteria:
Subjects aged between 18 and 65 years old - written given consent
For patients with schizophrenia:
\- that meet the DSM-5.0 schizophrenia criteria
For healthy control subjects:
* absence of psychiatric disroders (past and actual) diagnosed according to the DSM-5.0
* absence of prodromal psychosis as measured by a score under 6 at the Prodromal Questionnaire PQ-16 (Ising et al., 2012)
* absence of auditory disorders (actual and past) (including tinnitus)
* absence of medical treatment (to the exception of contraceptive pills
Exclusion Criteria:
* history of neurological disorders or brain injury with loss of consciousness
* subjects presenting with highly developed musical abilities (frequently practicing a musical instrument)
* subjects presenting with an intellectual deficiency as measured by the Raven progressive matrices
* subjects under guardianship
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1This study focused on basic auditory processes, emotional perception, and source monitoring in schizophrenia — can you help me understand how deficits in these areas relate to my specific symptoms, and whether findings from a study like this are relevant to my care?
2Since this trial has already been completed and was measuring performance on reality monitoring and externalization tasks rather than testing a treatment, what practical insights, if any, have come out of this research that might influence how my symptoms are assessed or managed?
3This appears to be an observational or measurement study rather than a treatment trial — does that mean it was more about understanding the condition than offering any direct benefit to participants, and are there related treatment-focused trials I should know about?
4Source monitoring deficits can affect how people with schizophrenia distinguish internal thoughts from external voices — is this something that has been evaluated in my case, and could it change the approach to my treatment?
5Are there current or upcoming studies building on this kind of research into auditory and emotional processing in schizophrenia that you think might be worth discussing for my situation?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Performance on a Reality monitoring task and on an externalization task