Electroencephalographic Study of the Mechanisms of Inhibition of Emotional Memories in Young Healthy Subjects

NCT06891612 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: C15-70
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 78
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Forgetfulness has long been considered a pathology of memory. However, the brain's voluntary suppression of certain unpleasant memories is essential for building a healthy memory. This suppression capacity can be measured using the "Think/No-Think" (TNT) paradigm.However, while the areas involved in these processes of suppression are now well described, the nature and temporal dynamics of the processes of inhibition and orientation of attention is still poorly defined. The aim of this study is to describe the nature of the attentional and inhibitory mechanisms involved in the suppression of emotionally negative memories, and their temporal articulation using electroencephalography (EEG). To this end, we will use a model of memory deletion derived from a perceptual attentional task and simulating the deletion phase in order to control the nature and timing of the processes involved. This approach will allow us to observe the presence of correspondences between the responses measured during the attentional test simulating the suppression and the actual phase of suppression, for which we cannot control the nature of the operations undertaken by the subject. In addition, we will assess the emotional response through physiological measures of autonomic nervous system activity (heart rate and electrodermal response) immediately after the TNT phase or one day later, which will allow us to evaluate the influence of memory suppression mechanisms on their emotional content. From a practical point of view, this study is organized into 3 groups of participants (healthy young adults). Each group will perform a perceptual attentional test and a TNT task, which will be preceded and followed by a measure of emotional response. Group 1 will allow us to test our main hypothesis from a behavioral point of view, as well as to calibrate the attentional task and its consistency with the TNT task. Group 2 will carry out the same tests but during an EEG examination to decode the temporal dynamics of attention states during the process of memory suppression. Group 3 will perform these same tests with a 24-hour interval between the TNT phase and the emotional assessment to estimate the effect of a retention period on forgetfulness functions. The description of these mechanisms and their physiological correlates will allow us to better understand how this ability to voluntarily control the flow of thoughts associated with negative memories is implemented, and thus to better understand the alterations in this capacity that can be observed during certain mental pathologies such as anxiety or depression.

Conditions

Anxiety; Depression; Cognitive Control

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Completion psychopathological scales

  Entered into a computer

  Inclusion visit

• Measurement of the electrodermal conductance

  For emotional evaluation when presenting negative images

  Day1

• Measuremet of heart rate

  For emotional evaluation when presenting negative images

  Day 1

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Attentional task

  Day 1 and Day 2

• Test of "Think/No-Think"

  Day1 and Day2

• Measurement of the electrodermal conductance

  Day 1 and Day 2

• Measuremet of heart rate

  Day 1 and Day 2

• Measurement of electroencephalographic activity

  Day1 and Day 2

Study Arms (3)

pretest healthy participants

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Cognitive Assessments; Device: Eye-tracking; Device: Electroencephalography (EEG); Device: Electrocardiography (ECG)

healthy participant 10 min delayed recall

EXPERIMENTAL

10 min delayed recall

Behavioral: Cognitive Assessments; Device: Eye-tracking; Device: Electroencephalography (EEG); Device: Electrocardiography (ECG)

healthy participant 24 h delayed recall

EXPERIMENTAL

24 h delayed recall

Behavioral: Cognitive Assessments; Device: Eye-tracking; Device: Electroencephalography (EEG); Device: Electrocardiography (ECG)

Interventions

Cognitive Assessments BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Assessments

healthy participant 10 min delayed recall; healthy participant 24 h delayed recall; pretest healthy participants

Eye-tracking DEVICE

measurement of the points of gaze

healthy participant 10 min delayed recall; healthy participant 24 h delayed recall; pretest healthy participants

Electroencephalography (EEG) DEVICE

Electrophysiological monitoring method to record electrical activity of the brain

healthy participant 10 min delayed recall; healthy participant 24 h delayed recall; pretest healthy participants

Electrocardiography (ECG) DEVICE

measurement of the electrical activity of the heart

healthy participant 10 min delayed recall; healthy participant 24 h delayed recall; pretest healthy participants

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male or female aged between 18 and 35 years
• Affiliated to a social security scheme
• Having French as their mother tongue
• Right-handed
• High school graduate or equivalent
• Having signed a written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy in progress, pregnancy test will be performed
• Person deprived of liberty by judicial or administrative decision
• Person hospitalized without consent and not subject to legal protection measures, and person admitted to a health or social care facility for purposes other than research
• Minor
• Adults subject to legal protection measure (guardianship, curatorship or judicial protection), adults unable to express their consent and not subject to protection measure
• History of a neurological, psychiatric disorders, or head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than an hour
• History of cancer over the last 5 years, with the exception of squamous cell carcinomas of the skin
• Presence or history of chronic alcoholism or drug addiction
• Taking medications that may alter cognitive and/or brain function (decision of the principal investigator)
• Presence of visual and/or auditory disorders sufficiently significant to affect the progress of the tests
• Contraindications to electroencephalography
• Presentation of unpleasant images that are too emotionally disturbing for the participant (by decision of the physician)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France: lead

Study Sites (1)

Service de neurologie CHU de Caen

Caen, 140330 Caen Cedex 9, France

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Legrand N, Etard O, Vandevelde A, Pierre M, Viader F, Clochon P, Doidy F, Peschanski D, Eustache F, Gagnepain P. Long-term modulation of cardiac activity induced by inhibitory control over emotional memories. Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 14;10(1):15008. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71858-2.

  PMID: 32929105 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Depression

Interventions

Eye-Tracking Technology; Electroencephalography; Electrocardiography

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Eye Movement Measurements; Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Electrodiagnosis; Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological; Heart Function Tests; Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 12, 2025
• First Posted: March 24, 2025
• Study Start: June 13, 2016
• Primary Completion: April 12, 2019
• Study Completion: April 12, 2019
• Last Updated: September 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)