Affect Recognition: Enhancing Performance of Persons With Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

NCT ID: NCT00283153

Last Updated: 2014-08-04

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2/PHASE3

Total Enrollment

71 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2008-10-31

Study Completion Date

2014-08-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of three training programs designed to teach persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) to recognize emotions. It is hypothesized that the training programs will enhance several aspects of emotion recognition in persons with ABI. Furthermore, it is expected that these effects will be maintained over time, and will positively influence participants' social behavior and integration.

Detailed Description

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Research has demonstrated that persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) often have difficulty recognizing emotions. This includes emotions portrayed in facial expressions, as well as inferring emotions based on social context. The ability to identify emotions in others is an essential component for the engagement of successful social interactions. It has been suggested that a decreased ability to recognize emotions may result in inappropriate behaviors and have a detrimental impact on social relationships. Despite the significance of this problem, very few studies have addressed this need in the ABI population.

Comparisons: Three groups receiving computer-based training programs. Two of the groups are trained to learn how to identify emotions of happy, sad, angry and fearful. The third training experience presents participants with a variety of learning tasks from managing money to grocery shopping.

1. Facial Affect Recognition (FAR) group: This group is shown faces on the computer and asked to identify the emotion being expressed. Subjects are also asked to describe situations that they associate with the emotions being trained, as well as mimic facial expressions in a mirror.
2. Stories of Emotional Inference (SEI) group: This group is asked to read stories on the computer that describe the interaction of events with characters' beliefs, wants and behaviors. From this information, subjects are asked to infer the emotions of the characters throughout the stories.
3. Cognitive Training Group (CTG): This group is given educational experiences in a variety of life skill areas including banking and applying for a job. This training is aimed at resolving some of the frustrations experienced by persons with ABI. Subjects may learn various computer skills including, Word, Excel, Internet Search or Games.

Before and after training, emotion recognition will be measured with pictures of faces; vocal recordings; stories that give the contextual cues to emotion; and hypothetical situations. In addition, participants' cognitive skills, social behavior and integration will also be assessed.

Conditions

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Acquired Brain Injury (Including Stroke)

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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FAR

Facial affect recognition training (with computer assistance)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Facial Affect Recognition Training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A series of pictures of faces displaying various emotions are presented one at a time using a computerized training program.Participants are taught to recognize how emotions affect facial features such as the mouth and eyes.Participants are also taught how to recognize their own emotions.

SEI

Stories of Emotional Inference

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Stories of Emotional Inference

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants are presented with a series of short stories one at a time. Each story presents various contextual cues regarding the emotions the characters are likely to experience. Participants learn to connect the cues to specific emotions.

Interventions

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Facial Affect Recognition Training

A series of pictures of faces displaying various emotions are presented one at a time using a computerized training program.Participants are taught to recognize how emotions affect facial features such as the mouth and eyes.Participants are also taught how to recognize their own emotions.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Stories of Emotional Inference

Participants are presented with a series of short stories one at a time. Each story presents various contextual cues regarding the emotions the characters are likely to experience. Participants learn to connect the cues to specific emotions.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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Cognitive intervention

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age between eighteen and sixty-five years old.
* At minimum, one year post-injury.
* Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 12 or less, or stroke with hemi-paresis signifying a moderate to severe acquired brain injury.
* A TBI that resulted in either a closed or open head injury or a stroke that resulted in severe disability
* Perform at least one standard deviation below the norm on the DANVA2-Adult Faces test, a standardized assessment of facial affect recognition.
* Verbally able to express a basic understanding of emotional descriptors (e.g. Happy, sad, angry, fearful).
* Demonstrate basic comprehension for short paragraphs presented in 2 ways: 1)auditorily and 2)silent reading. This measure is part of the Discourse Comprehension Test.

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosed mental illness.
* Uncorrected visual acuity.
* Uncorrected hearing impairment.
* Perceptual impairment (visual neglect and/or visual discrimination).
* Impaired verbal expression/ aphasia
* Alcohol or substance abuse.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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U.S. Department of Education

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

Massey University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Brock University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University at Buffalo

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Barry Willer

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Barry Willer, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University at Buffalo, Department of Psychiatry

Locations

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University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, United States

Site Status

Carolinas HealthCare System

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Site Status

Brock University

St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Massey University

Wellington, , New Zealand

Site Status

Countries

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United States Canada New Zealand

References

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Zupan B, Neumann D, Babbage DR, Willer B. The importance of vocal affect to bimodal processing of emotion: implications for individuals with traumatic brain injury. J Commun Disord. 2009 Jan-Feb;42(1):1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2008.06.001. Epub 2008 Jul 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18692197 (View on PubMed)

Radice-Neumann D, Zupan B, Babbage DR, Willer B. Overview of impaired facial affect recognition in persons with traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj. 2007 Jul;21(8):807-16. doi: 10.1080/02699050701504281.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17676438 (View on PubMed)

Radice-Neumann D, Zupan B, Tomita M, Willer B. Training emotional processing in persons with brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2009 Sep-Oct;24(5):313-23. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0b013e3181b09160.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19858965 (View on PubMed)

Babbage DR, Yim J, Zupan B, Neumann D, Tomita MR, Willer B. Meta-analysis of facial affect recognition difficulties after traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychology. 2011 May;25(3):277-285. doi: 10.1037/a0021908.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21463043 (View on PubMed)

Neumann D, Babbage DR, Zupan B, Willer B. A randomized controlled trial of emotion recognition training after traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2015 May-Jun;30(3):E12-23. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000054.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 24842590 (View on PubMed)

Zupan B, Babbage D, Neumann D, Willer B. Recognition of facial and vocal affect following traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj. 2014;28(8):1087-95. doi: 10.3109/02699052.2014.901560. Epub 2014 Apr 4.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 24701988 (View on PubMed)

Yim J, Babbage DR, Zupan B, Neumann D, Willer B. The relationship between facial affect recognition and cognitive functioning after traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj. 2013;27(10):1155-61. doi: 10.3109/02699052.2013.804203. Epub 2013 Jul 29.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 23895556 (View on PubMed)

Neumann D, Zupan B, Babbage DR, Radnovich AJ, Tomita M, Hammond F, Willer B. Affect recognition, empathy, and dysosmia after traumatic brain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2012 Aug;93(8):1414-20. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2012.03.009. Epub 2012 Mar 23.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 22446155 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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NIDRR H133G080043A

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

DR-050573-BW-2300

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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