MedTrace Logo

Study of Empathy in MS

NCT05332951 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 150

Last updated 2024-02-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system whose exact etiology remains unclear, underpinned by multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, and is a cause of significant motor and cognitive disability.

Some studies report a prevalence of 40% to 60% of cognitive impairment during the disease, and represents a major factor influencing quality of life in patients with MS.

Cognitive impairment can affect one or more of the 6 cognitive functions, including social cognition and its three components: theory of mind, or an individual's ability to infer intention and other's behavior, empathy, and social perceptions and knowledge.

To date, few studies have focused on the more specific study of empathy in MS. They seem to suggest the existence of a deficit but rely on small numbers of patients.

There appear to be many confounding factors but their direct relationship to empathy is not clearly established: potentially related comorbidities, such as anxiety and depression that are frequently found in MS patients ; level of education and cognitive reserve; and finally the very characteristics of the disease.

Indeed, data concerning relationship between empathy and the activity or stage of MS seem so far contradictory.

Alexithymia, or inability to express feelings verbally, is a pathology close to empathy deficit, and can affect patients' daily lives in a similar way. Prevalence of alexithymia in MS patients has been shown to be higher than in general population, and its parallel study with empathy seems relevant.

The aim of this study is to assess the level of empathy on a larger scale of MS population and to study various confounding factors known to influence the level of empathy, such as anxiety, depression, level of education but also the characteristics of the disease: its duration of evolution, its stage, its activity, and associated disability.

The investigator team will conduct a prospective observational study in MS patients to assess their level of empathy versus a control population of healthy subjects and study the influence of these different variables.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

Interpersonal Reactivity Index

Questionnaire to be completed by the patient

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

    lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-07-04
Primary Completion
2022-12-19
Completion
2022-12-19

Countries

  • France

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05332951 on ClinicalTrials.gov