How insomnia affects recognizing facial emotions and emotional regulation
Facial Emotion Recognition in Insomnia and Emotional Regulation
This project tests whether adults with chronic insomnia are worse at recognizing facial emotions and show different eye-tracking attention patterns than adults without insomnia.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 128 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University Hospital, Angers Government |
| Locations | 1 site (Angers) |
| Trial ID | NCT06251258 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Adults with chronic insomnia and matched control participants will complete two facial emotion recognition tasks: one explicit test with unlimited viewing time and one implicit test using eye-tracking to measure attentional biases and fixation patterns. Results from the insomnia and control groups will be compared to identify differences in emotion recognition accuracy and gaze behavior. Participants will also complete the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) to relate recognition performance to emotional regulation profiles. Data are collected in person at the hospital and entered into an anonymized database for analysis.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults aged 18–65 who can give consent, are covered by social security, and meet insomnia criteria (ISI > 14) for the insomnia group or ISI < 8 for the control group, without major psychiatric disorders or excluded medications.
Not a fit: People with diagnosed major psychiatric disorders, current use of antidepressants/neuroleptics/thymoregulators, long‑acting benzodiazepines, active substance use disorders (excluding tobacco), recent hospitalization, or outside the 18–65 age range are unlikely to qualify or benefit from the protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to specific social-cognitive or attentional targets for therapies to improve social functioning and emotional health in people with chronic insomnia.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has documented cognitive and emotion regulation changes in insomnia, but studies specifically using eye-tracking to probe facial emotion recognition are limited and have produced mixed or preliminary results.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Pre-inclusion criteria * Age between 18 and 65 * Signed consent to participate in the study * Person affiliated to or benefiting from a social security scheme * For insomnia group: known insomnia (patient treated for insomnia) Inclusion criteria: * Insomnia group: ISI \>14 (between 15 and 28 = clinical insomnia) * Control group: ISI \< 8 (between 0 and 7 = no insomnia) Non-pre-inclusion criteria * Known psychiatric disorders (Characterized depressive episode, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia and other delusional disorders, Specified anxiety disorder (social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder), Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Eating disorders, Neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD, ADHD), Active addictive disorders (excluding tobacco), ...) * Taking antidepressant, neuroleptic or thymoregulator medication * Taking a benzodiazepine with a long half-life (\>12 hours) * Condition requiring hospitalization in the month preceding the study * Known sequelae or progressive neurological disease * Known significant ophthalmological condition * Pregnancy or breast-feeding * Person deprived of liberty by judicial or administrative decision * Person subject to a legal protection measure * Person under psychiatric care without consent * For control group: no known insomnia Non-inclusion criteria : \- Psychiatric disorders identified during psychiatric interview
Where this trial is running
Angers
- CHU Angers — Angers, France (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Benedicte GOHIER
- Email: BeGohier@chu-angers.fr
- Phone: 02 41 35 32 44
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.