CClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03931148IMAGISIONUpdated Aug 23, 2021

Interest of Functional Neuroimaging in Assessing Decision-making Capacity of Older People With Neurocognitive Disorders

An interventional study of Geriatric Assesment with neuropsychological test more specific on decision making and Functional RMI in Decision Making, Dementia and Aging, sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon. Status unknown at 2 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 70 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-08-23.

Sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Aug 2021), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
74
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
70 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

IMAGISION aims to explore, in a cohort of patients referred for geriatric consultation for neurocognitive evaluation, the contribution of functional neuroimaging (functional MRI and, if possible, high resolution EEG) to geriatric expertise, associated with the performance of a battery of neuropsychological tests in the evaluation of decision-making capacity.

Read the detailed description

It is during aging of patients, especially those with polypathological disorders and in whom cognitive disorders appear, that the most complex and ethical questions arise. In this context, these patients are frequently referred to geriatric consultations or memory centres for a global assessment of their cognitive functions and life skills in order to optimize their care and anticipate their medical and medico-social future. The assessment of decision-making capacity is essential in this regard.

Nevertheless, there is no test that specifically explores this issue and, therefore, people's decision-making abilities may not be properly estimated and may prevent some patients from making decisions when they would be able to do so.

Thus, although the issue of decision-making has generally been explored from a neuropsychological perspective in many studies, there is no specific test or score for decision-making capacity, as it is a complex process. The question of decision-making capacity in complex situations is therefore addressed by a multiple analysis of many parameters, including different neuropsychological data, which are then synthesized by the clinician in a standardized geriatric assessment to get an idea, among other things, of the overall ability to make decisions.

Given the difficulty of this and the ethical and societal issue, the research question focuses on the contribution of neuroimaging technologies to the assessment of decision-making capacity.

In fact, several studies have explored the issue as part of the functional neuroimaging study. The investigators note, in particular:

  • Decision-making studies were conducted using the EEG-High Resolution (EEG-HR) technique. It is a technique for electromagnetic analysis of brain functions with excellent temporal resolution and quite good spatial resolution. This allows, during functional decision tests, a detailed analysis of the temporality of the activation of the frontal and prefrontal areas.
  • Functional MRI (fMRI) is a neurological imaging technique whose main strength lies in its spatial acuity. Thus, the performance of functional decisional tests under functional MRI allows a detailed analysis of the recruitment of the different zones between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the median ventromedian cortex.

These 2 neuroimaging techniques allowed a neuro-functional analysis of decision making, based on the realization of more specific tests, modelling decision making. Among these models, the Iowa Game Task and the Balloon Assessement Risk Task are frequently used.

Nevertheless, all these tests and explorations were conducted independently, and no studies have investigated the contribution of a neurofunctional approach to patient decision-making through complementary explorations in functional MRI and /or in EEG-HR as diagnostic tools as part of an overall gerontological evaluation of decision making ability.

The question that arises is therefore that of the development of diagnostic tools.

02

Conditions studied

  • Decision Making
  • Dementia
  • Aging

Keywords

  • Neuroimaging
  • Dementia
  • Decision making
  • Neuropsychology
  • Aging
03

In context

Dementia

2,172 studies on the registry are indexed under Dementia; 540 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 74 is below the median of 83 across 1,629 interventional studies indexed under Dementia.

Browse Dementia studies →

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon is the lead sponsor of 439 studies on the registry; 97 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
70 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • French speaker
  • Recent diagnosis of neurocognitive disorder
  • Agreed with the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Delirium
  • Major depressive symptoms
  • MRI contraindication
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
74 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intervention

    After first consultation for diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorder : * Geriatric Assessment with specific neuropsychologic tests of decision making * fRMI * EEG High Resolution * Qualitative interview

    Diagnostic Test: Geriatric Assesment with neuropsychological test more specific on decision making · Diagnostic Test: Functional RMI · Diagnostic Test: High Resolution EEG · Other: Qualitative interview

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testGeriatric Assesment with neuropsychological test more specific on decision making

    The following tests will be made : MoCA, FAB, TMT, Stroop-Victoria, JAT

  • Diagnostic testFunctional RMI

    With specific test of decision making (IGT) specially adapted to the population

  • Diagnostic testHigh Resolution EEG

    With specific test of decision making (BART) specially adapted to the population

  • OtherQualitative interview

    Qualitative semi-directed interviews with participants, their caregivers and their geriatrician to analyse everyday life decision making ability.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Estimation of concordance/disordance between the standardized global gerontological evaluation and the objectification of the activation zones of prefrontal ventromedial and dorsolateral cortex by functional imaging

    The cohort data will be compared between patients identified as " questionable ability " according to the clinical evaluation (reference) and the neuroimaging evaluation, in order to see if the imaging allows to reclassify patients as " able ". A 10 % diagnostic gain in expected. Concerning functional neuroimaging (Balloon Analog Risk Task): The lack of activation of specific brain areas during period of interest will be considered as "compatible with the ability to make decisions" on neuro-functional imaging, while patients who do not activate the ROIs in the same situation will be considered as "compatible with questionable decision-making ability". Concerning standardized geriatric assessment: At the end of the initial consultation, based on his clinical examination, interview and standardized neuropsychological assessment, the geriatrician will classify each patient either as " preserved decision-making ability " or " questionable decision-making ability ".

    Time frame: 1

Other outcomes

  1. Comparison between neuropsychological test and neurofunctional imaging

    The results of the functional neuroimaging tests will be analyzed in comparison with the neuropsychological tests performed, to verify the correlation between the results of the neuropsychological tests of decision-making ability and the results of the neuroimaging tests, and thus to identify, among the battery of tests used, those that are the most discriminating in the evaluation of decision-making ability

    Time frame: 1 day

  2. Comparison between neurocognitive disorders stage and decision-making ability

    The neuropsychological tests that will be carried out will allow to identify the stage of neurocognitive disorders in patients. These elements can be correlated with the analysis of decision-making abilities in order to demonstrate a correlation between neurocognitive disorders, their stage, and decision-making ability

    Time frame: 1 day

  3. Analysis of the implication of the decision-making ability in everyday life situation

    Based on the semi-directed interviews, a qualitative analysis will be carried out to study the reality of everyday life situations where decision-making ability is mobilized. A particular focus will be made on the impact of neurocognitive disorders on aging in place, and thus on the decision to integrate a nursing home.

    Time frame: 1 day

07

Study locations

2 of 2 sites recruiting
  • CRIUGM
    Montreal, Quebec H3W1W6, Canada
    Recruiting
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon
    Besancon, BFC 25000, France
    • Thomas TANNOU, MD · Contact · +33381669003
    • Thomas TANNOU, MD · Principal investigator
    • Eloi MAGNIN, MD-PhD · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Tannou T, Godard-Marceau A, Joubert S, Daneault S, Kergoat MJ, Magnin E, Comte A, Gabriel D, Vidal C, Pazart L, Aubry R. Added value of functional neuroimaging to assess decision-making capacity of older adults with neurocognitive disorders: protocol for a prospective, monocentric, single-arm study (IMAGISION). BMJ Open. 2021 Sep 29;11(9):e053549. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053549. PubMed 34588264 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 23, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03931148
Lead sponsor
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon
Collaborators
Université de Montréal
Responsible party
Thomas TANNOU (University Hospital Practitioner, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 30, 2019
Start date
Jan 5, 2020
Primary completion
Sep 2022 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 2023 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 23, 2021

Study contacts

Thomas TANNOU, MD
Contact
ttannou@chu-besancon.fr
+33381669003
Aurelie MARCEAU, PhD
Contact
amarceau@chu-besancon.fr
++33677132916
Regis AUBRY, PhD
study chair · Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Aug 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion