How the brain recognizes emotions and knows itself in memory diseases

Plain-English translation of NCT07531732 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated April 2026 · Translation generated June 2026 · How we translate trials

What is this trial?

This study is exploring how people with two types of dementia—behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease—recognize emotions in faces and understand their own performance. Researchers want to learn whether problems with self-awareness are linked to difficulty reading social cues, and whether this connection differs between the two diseases.

People with these types of dementia often struggle with self-awareness and understanding emotions, but doctors don't fully understand how these two problems are related or why they happen differently in different diseases. This research could help explain what's happening in the brain and lead to better ways to support patients and families.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you have been diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia or Alzheimer's disease (confirmed with specific medical criteria)
you are between 50 and 80 years old
you score 20 or higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination (a brief thinking and memory test)
you are able to read and write in French well enough to complete the study tasks

You likely don't qualify if…

you have severe language problems that make it hard to name common objects
you are unable to use a computer or complete computerized tasks
you have other brain conditions like epilepsy, Lewy body dementia, or vascular dementia
you have serious psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or current major depression
you have vision problems that cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts

What participation looks like

You would attend two visits, each lasting about 2 hours. At the first visit, you'll answer questions about yourself and complete a computer task where you look at faces showing different emotions and rate how confident you are in your answers. At the second visit, you'll do additional computer tasks testing your understanding of other people's thoughts and feelings, plus a memory task. There's also an optional part where researchers test how suggestible you are using relaxation techniques.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Jun 7, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(1 site)

France

Cognitive Neurology Center, Lariboisière-Fernand Widal Hospital Group, APHP, Paris