Social Cognition in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder

Summary

With 41,000 deaths per year, alcohol consumption is the second leading cause of preventable mortality in France. Nearly 3.4% of adults engage in excessive and chronic alcohol use, meeting criteria for Severe Alcohol Use Disorder (SAUD).

SAUD is associated with cerebral and cognitive alterations, including deficits in social cognition. These deficits manifest as difficulties in perceiving and interpreting social cues during interactions and encompass, in particular, the recognition of emotional facial expressions and the accurate attribution of others' beliefs, emotions, and intentions (i.e., theory of mind). Such alterations contribute to interpersonal difficulties and psychological distress and are recognized as risk factors for the development and maintenance of SAUD.

To date, social cognition has primarily been explored through behavioral tests, providing a description of deficits without examining their neuro-structural correlates. Moreover, no neuroscientific study has investigated the impact of sex and concomitant tobacco use on social cognition and associated brain structures in SAUD, although these factors are known to influence both social cognitive abilities and cerebral organization in this disorder. Finally, the everyday consequences of these alterations on social functioning and the trajectory of alcohol consumption remain poorly explored.

In this context, the present project aims, first, to explore the neuro-structural correlates of social cognition deficits in SAUD using psychometric assessments (i.e., emotion recognition, theory of mind) combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The impact of sex and tobacco use will be accounted for by including these variables as covariates in statistical analyses. Second, the project seeks to assess the daily-life impact of social cognition deficits on the social functioning of individuals with SAUD (i.e., quantity and quality of social interactions) and on the evolution of alcohol use behaviors six months after hospitalization (i.e., risk of relapse).

The study will include two participant groups: individuals with SAUD and age-, sex-, and education-matched control participants.

The expected results will refine our understanding of social cognition alterations in SAUD, thereby contributing to the improvement of current neuroscientific models. These advances will pave the way for the identification of potential targets for prevention programs and therapeutic interventions.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Analysis of social functioning and social cognition processes

Investigation of functioning and social cognition processes using a comprehensive, neuropsychological assessment and MRI exam. * Evaluation of addictive, psychiatric and neurological comorbidities. * Neuropsychological assessment establishing the participants cognitive profiles of executive functions and of social cognition * Collection of smartphone-based data that is descriptive of participants daily social functioning * MRI exam identifying participants neuroanatomical and neurofunctional correlates of social cognition processes

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

  collaborator OTHER

• EPSM de la Marne

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• CHU de Reims

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-31

Primary Completion

2028-05-31

Completion

2028-12-31

Countries

• France

Study Locations