Study of Intra- and Interpersonal Multimodal Synchronizations in a Social Interaction in Individuals with a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

Official title

Study of Multimodal Intra- and Interpersonal Synchronizations in Social Interaction in Individuals with a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

Overview

The aim of this study is to precisely identify deficits in intra- and interpersonal multimodal synchronizations during social interaction in individuals with schizophrenia (ISZ). During a social interaction, individuals use both visual and auditory channels to construct their discourse. The auditory channel encompasses the semantics and prosody of the speech, while the visual channel describes the entirety of non-verbal gestures (e.g., facial expressions, body movements). Prosody and non-verbal gestures are essential elements for the speaker. By accompanying speech, they contribute to the planning and conceptualization of the utterance and enhance its communicative power. For the listener, prosody and non-verbal gestures are also used to provide sensory feedback to the speaker. Several studies have shown the existence of intrapersonal and interpersonal synchronizations of prosody and non-verbal gestures during interaction. These synchronizations are associated with numerous social benefits (e.g., increased mutual appreciation and quality of interaction). However, certain mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, exhibit deficits in non-verbal behaviors that can impair these synchronizations and the associated social benefits. We hypothetized that interaction with individuals with a daignosis of schizophrenia will be associated with deficits in intra and interpersonal synchronization.

Detailed description

This study includes a pre-inclusion interview followed by a visit to the university hospital (CHU) lasting about 2 hours (including a break). During the visit, the patient participates in an experimental protocol consisting of two parts. In the first part, the patient will be paired with an interaction partner, and the two participants will engage in four distinct conversational tasks, including getting to know each other, free discussions, structured dialogues, and emotional interactions. In the second part, the participants will answer several questionnaires and perform neuropsychological tests in collaboration with an experimenter

Interventions

• Behavioral Social interaction
  Participants are required to speak to one another. Participants are given various topics of conversation.

Primary outcome measures

• interpersonal synchronization [Time frame: 4x6 minutes]
• intrapersonal synchronization [Time frame: 4x6 minutes]

Secondary outcome measures (2)

• correlation between primary outcomes and individuals with schizophrenia medications [Time frame: 4x6 minutes]
• correlation between synchronization and willingness to continue the interaction [Time frame: 4x6 minutes]

Eligibility criteria

Individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia :

Inclusion criteria

• diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the DSM-V
• being able to read, speak and understand french
• giving eclaired consent

Exclusion criteria

• history of head trauma
• history of neurological conditions (epilespsy, multiple sclerosis, parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, huntington's disease, stroke)
• substance use
• pregnant women

Healthy controls :

Inclusion criteria

• being able to read, speak and understand french
• giving eclaired consent

Exclusion criteria

• diagnosis of psychosis
• history of head trauma
• history of neurological conditions (epilespsy, multiple sclerosis, parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, huntington's disease, stroke)
• substance use
• pregnant women

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Non-randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Basic science

Study locations

France · 1 center

• Montpellier University Hospital — Montpellier

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06484387 · RECHMPL22_0408

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗