Affective Touch, Hedonia and Suicidal Behavior

NCT05182827 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: RECHMPL21_0502
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 72
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Several elements suggest that suicidal vulnerability may be associated with an alteration in the perception of affective touch. On the one hand, anhedonia, characterized by a decrease in the pleasure felt, is strongly associated with suicidal ideation, independently of depression. However, the ability to feel pleasure is essential in the perception of affective touch. On the other hand, suicidal behaviors are associated with interpersonal difficulties, of which communication is an integral part, and communication is partly through touch. The investigators therefore wish to explore the perception of affective touch in suicidal behavior by using an affective tactile stimulation in 72 subjects with and without a history of suicide attempts (SA).

Conditions

Major Depressive Episode; Suicidal and Self-injurious Behavior

Keywords

Suicide; Depression; Affective touch; Decision making

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Pleasantness of the touch

  Perceived pleasantness of the tactile stimulation, assessed with a numeric scale ranging from -5 (very unpleasant) to +5 (very pleasant)

  at inclusion

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Intensity of the touch

  at inclusion

• Decision-making performance (Iowa Gambling Test)

  at inclusion

• Decision-making performance (Ultimatum Game)

  at inclusion

• β-endorphin levels

  at inclusion

• Variation in the expression of opioidergic genes

  at inclusion

Study Arms (2)

Euthymic patients with history of suicide attempt (suicide attempters)

EXPERIMENTAL

Currently euthymic patients with at least one lifetime major depressive episode and a history of suicide attempts

Other: Tactile stimulation

Euthymic patients without any history of suicide attempt (affective controls)

EXPERIMENTAL

Currently euthymic patients with at least one lifetime major depressive episode and with no history of suicide attempts

Other: Tactile stimulation

Interventions

Tactile stimulation OTHER

The experimental task aims to evaluate the hedonic nature of an affective touch by tactile stimulation. It consists in stimulating two adjacent regions of the left forearm, delimited and marked, of 9 cm x 4 cm each. In order to limit habituation, the stimulation areas will be alternated. To stimulate these areas, the investigator (previously trained) strokes the participant with a brush at an optimal speed to stimulate the C-fibers (3 cm/s; slow speed) or not (18 cm/s; fast speed). Touch will consist of 30 seconds blocks of stimulation, performed on one of the two identified areas, from the elbow to the wrist. In total, 6 stimulation blocks will be done (3 slow and 3 fast), the order and location of which will be random in order to limit habituation. This stimulation is completely painless. After each block, the participant will evaluate the intensity of the stimulation and its pleasantness.

Euthymic patients with history of suicide attempt (suicide attempters); Euthymic patients without any history of suicide attempt (affective controls)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being a woman
• Aged between 18 and 65
• Past major depressive episode according to the DSM-5 criteria
• Currently euthymic (Montgomery-Asberg Depression rating Scale (MADRS) \< 12 and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) \< 6)
• Minimal psychotropic medication (as determined by the clinician)
• Able to understand experimental procedures
• Able to speak, read and understand French
• Having given written informed consent
• For suicide attempters only: Lifetime history of suicide attempt
• For affective controls only: No lifetime history of suicide attempt

You may not qualify if:

• Lifetime diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia or autism spectrum disorder
• Severe alcohol or substance use disorder in the past 6 months
• Current anorexia nervosa
• Diagnosis of mental retardation or severe medical comorbidity that is unstable or could interfere with measures (HIV, diabetes, cancer, chronic inflammatory disease, neurological disorder, sensory or cognitive disability)
• Injury, scar, irritation/dermatological lesion or tattoo on the left forearm
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Not being affiliated to the French National Social Security System
• Being deprived of freedom (by judicial or administrative decision)
• Being protected by law (guardianship or curatorship)
• Having reached 4500€ annual compensation for participating to clinical trials

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Montpellier: lead

Study Sites (1)

Montpellier University Hospital, France (CHU)

Montpellier, 34295, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Self-Injurious Behavior; Suicide; Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 22, 2021
• First Posted: January 10, 2022
• Study Start: February 11, 2022
• Primary Completion: September 9, 2024
• Study Completion: September 9, 2024
• Last Updated: January 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Locations

FR (1)