Discriminant Validity of the Multiple Errands Test in Schizophrenia

NCT02782091 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: P150701
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a chronic, severe disease resulting in a misperception of reality, major social withdrawal and cognitive disturbances. Executive dysfunctions are widely considered as primary determinants of functional outcome. However, classic neuropsychological executive function measures poorly represent patients' functional outcome and seem inappropriate to evaluate the real-world functional impact of the disease. In this perspective, Shallice and Burgess have developed for brain-damaged patients, the Multiple Errands Test (MET) allowing to assess planning, adaptation, problem solving and mental flexibility in real life settings, thus better capturing day-to-day abilities and including contextual (social, perceptive) influences. Setting the assessment outside the laboratory can help to identify subtle executive impairment not systematically expressed in standard care conditions and consequently improve the future care solutions. MET is based on the Supervisory Attentional System model of executive functioning and attention control that specifies how thought and action schema become activated or suppressed for routine and non-routine circumstances. MET has been designed to measure real-world executive performance confronting the participants to unpredictable affordances and interpersonal interactions while planning and problem solving. Patients are asked to accomplish several tasks of variable complexity in an unknown commercial district. Severals rules must be respected and thus an action plan, strategy formulation, time and space management with very little assistance of the examiner are required. Most of the studies involving MET were conceived for patients with acquired brain damage. LeThiec offered an extensive protocol with the initial scoring system (in terms of inefficiencies, rule breaks, interpretation failures and task execution failures). Simplified versions of MET were also suggested to be more suitable in hospital settings. Only one study was done in SZ including a single patient, it is therefore difficult to draw conclusions about clinical utility in SZ. To date, no other studies investigated the suitability of MET in patients with psychosis, while executive impairment is well documented in this population The investigators hypothesized that the Multiple Errands Test (MET), an ecological assessment of executive function has a better ability to measure everyday adaptative functioning SZ, compared to conventional EF assessment methods.

Conditions

Schizophrenia

Keywords

MET; Prognosis; Cognition; Ecological; Executive function

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Comparison of quantitative variable between score for MET and standard functional evaluation

  Inclusion visit

Study Arms (2)

Schizophrenia Patient

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Multiple Errands Test (MET)

Control Subject

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Multiple Errands Test (MET)

Interventions

Multiple Errands Test (MET) BEHAVIORAL

1 hour assessment in an unknown district with 2 independent raters.

Also known as: Errands Test (Shallice and Burgess, 1991)

Control Subject; Schizophrenia Patient

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Experimental group
• Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (DSM V criteria)
• Clinically stable
• Age : between18 and 50 years
• Social security affiliation
• French speakers
• Written consent signed
• Control group
• Age : between18 and 50 years
• Social security affiliation
• French speakers
• Written consent signed

You may not qualify if:

• History of neurological or somatic disorders with sensori-motor impact
• Electroconvulsive therapy in the 6 months prior to participation
• Person living near the test site and/or knowing the neighborhood
• Person under guardianship
• Pregnancy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris: lead

Study Sites (1)

Henri Mondor Hospital

Créteil, 94010, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Schizophrenia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Franck SCHURHOFF, Prof, MD.

  Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 17, 2016
• First Posted: May 25, 2016
• Study Start: June 16, 2016
• Primary Completion: January 21, 2020
• Study Completion: January 21, 2020
• Last Updated: March 31, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)