Study of Visual Mecanisms Involved in Face Recognition

NCT ID: NCT06851923

Last Updated: 2025-02-28

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 100 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2030-11-15

Brief Summary

Since the 19th century, perception has been regarded as an inferential process in which sensory input is compared with prior knowledge, namely the internalised representation of the visual environment. This notion is central to the understanding of everyday perception and cognition in general, and is attracting much attention in various areas of psychology and cognitive neuroscience. However, it is unclear whether and how the primary visual refinement that is thought to underlie the convergence of bottom-up inputs with top-down prior knowledge applies to the processing of meaningful stimuli in our everyday lives. The investigators have shown that human face processing mechanisms are shaped by prior knowledge that the horizontal range of face information conveys the richest and most reliable cues. Furthermore, investigators' previous data suggest that the primary visual cortex is recruited during the progressive refinement of face representation. Using very high field neuroimaging, the present project proposes to follow the neural mechanisms underlying the cortical refinement of horizontal information in human face processing, and to study their contribution to behaviour.

Conditions

Young Healthy Adults; Healthy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Study of the visual mechanisms involved in face perception

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

3Tesla magnetic resonance imaging of the healthy human visual system

Intervention Type: OTHER

The present project presents a series of monocentric MRI studies carried out on healthy adult human volunteers. All neuroimaging will be performed at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc (CUSL, IRM de recherche). Participants will not directly benefit from their participation. All studies will manipulate the visual properties of the experimental stimuli in a within-subject way, and therefore do not rely on any participation group assignation/randomization method. The duration of studies will vary between 3h to 6h, i.e., from 2 to 4x1h30 3Tesla magnetic resonance imaging sessions depending on the experimental design.

Interventions

3Tesla magnetic resonance imaging of the healthy human visual system

The present project presents a series of monocentric MRI studies carried out on healthy adult human volunteers. All neuroimaging will be performed at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc (CUSL, IRM de recherche). Participants will not directly benefit from their participation. All studies will manipulate the visual properties of the experimental stimuli in a within-subject way, and therefore do not rely on any participation group assignation/randomization method. The duration of studies will vary between 3h to 6h, i.e., from 2 to 4x1h30 3Tesla magnetic resonance imaging sessions depending on the experimental design.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Be between 18 and 50 years old,
• have normal eyesight or eyesight corrected with contact lenses,
• Have no neurological disorder,
• Not have had a skull fracture or head surgery,
• Have no chronic progressive illness or mental deficiency,
• Have no metal parts in their body (dental braces or pins, metal plates, pacemakers, implanted prostheses, etc.),
• Have no tattoos containing metallic particles or implanted jewellery (e.g. piercings) that cannot be removed,
• Not to have worked with metals,
• Do not take any medicines or substances that may affect brain function (e.g. drugs, energy drinks, alcohol),
• Not to be pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Do not be claustrophobic.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants presenting a counter-indication (responding yes to one of the questions of the screening questionnaire, see annex 2) to participate will be excluded from participation.

Participants will be screened to ascertain they do not present any of these counter-indications to the participation to the MRI measurement. We will exclude people with these characteristics:

• Be younger than 18 or older than 50 years old,
• have poor eyesight,
• Have neurological disorder,
• have had a skull fracture or head surgery,
• Have a chronic progressive illness or mental deficiency,
• Have metal parts in their body (dental braces or pins, metal plates, pacemakers, implanted prostheses, etc.),
• Have tattoos containing metallic particles or implanted jewellery (e.g. piercings) that cannot be removed,
• have worked with metals,
• take medicines or substances that may affect brain function (e.g. drugs, energy drinks, alcohol),
• pregnant or breastfeeding.
• claustrophobic.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Université Catholique de Louvain

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Valerie Goffaux, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Université Catholique de Louvain

Mrittika Dey, Master

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Université Catholique de Louvain

Central Contacts

Valerie Goffaux, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Valerie.goffaux@uclouvain.be

003210473877

Laurence Dricot, PhD

Role: CONTACT

laurence.dricot@uclouvain.be

0032 479 230 206

Other Identifiers

HUMVIS

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id