NCT04945278

Study of Self-Recognition and Self/Other Distinction Disorders in Patients With Psychological Vulnerability

Study of Self-Recognition and Self/Other Distinction Disorders in Patients With Psychological Vulnerability (ALTER EGO)

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 34 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Hospital, Brest · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years – 25 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The main objective of this study is to establish whether there are differences in self-recognition and self/other distinction in subjects with psychological vulnerability compared to healthy volunteer controls.

Detailed description

This study is based on the properties of the double mirror "Alter Ego" which is a device that appears as a double-sided mirror surrounded by light diodes whose intensity can be varied. Thanks to this variation of luminosity, this special paradigm creates morphs between two real subjects seated on both sides, resulting in different faces, each morphed to a varying extent. In this task, participants watch a double mirror in which a picture of their own face gradually transforms into the face of an unfamiliar other (self-to-other direction) or vice versa (other-to-self direction), and indicate at which point they judge the morph to look more like the target face than the starting face. The comparison of the thresholds obtained by different individuals makes it possible to establish whether there could be differences between subjects with psychological vulnerability and healthy controls and to explore hypothetical links between self/other distinction abilities and symptoms of psychological vulnerability .

Conditions

• Psychosis of Childhood Borderline
• Psychotic Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Double mirror device ALTER-EGO	The patient and his matched healthy volunteer will be placed on each side of the double mirror device ALTER-EGO. Both sides will be lightened alternatively or at the same time by lights, so according to the light intensity, the subject will see himself in a mirror or the other person throw a classic window. The light intensity will vary from 0 to 100% and to 100% to 0% alternatively from each side of the mirror. At each 10% variation of one side, both patient and volunteer will have to answer that question : "who do you see more : him/her or yourself ?"
OTHER	EASE test	The patient will have to answer the EASE test which is a specific test to detect patient with high risk of psychosis or schizophrenia

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-05-31
• Primary completion: 2027-07-31
• Completion: 2027-07-31
• First posted: 2021-06-30
• Last updated: 2026-03-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: France