How the brain recognizes emotions after a stroke

Neural Bases of Post-stroke Emotion Perception Disorders

Observational University Hospital, Lille · NCT05595005

This project uses MRI, EEG, and behavioral tests to see how adults who had a single stroke and healthy adults recognize emotions.

Quick facts

Study typeObservational
Enrollment80 (estimated)
Ages18 Years to 80 Years
SexAll
SponsorUniversity Hospital, Lille Academic / other
Locations1 site (Lille)
Trial IDNCT05595005 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This monocentric physiological study compares two groups of 40 participants (stroke and healthy control) to identify brain mechanisms of visual emotion recognition. Participants will complete functional MRI, structural MRI including disconnectome mapping, scalp EEG, and behavioral tests of emotion recognition and executive function. Imaging and electrophysiological data will be analyzed to relate network connectivity and event-related signals to behavioral performance. The goal is to map neural signatures that differ between people with a recent single stroke and matched healthy adults.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults aged 18–80 with a single ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke within the chronic phase (< 6 months), able to give informed consent, insured, and willing to complete MRI, EEG, and behavioral testing are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients who cannot consent or complete tasks (severe aphasia or dementia), have significant uncorrected visual loss or visual neglect, high depression/anxiety, other neurologic disorders, or contraindications to MRI are unlikely to benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal brain network changes underlying emotion-recognition problems and inform more targeted rehabilitation or cognitive therapies.

How similar studies have performed: Prior work has documented post-stroke emotion-recognition deficits and altered brain networks with fMRI and EEG, though combining disconnectome mapping with EEG in matched groups is comparatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

Stroke group:

* Man or Woman
* Age 18-80y
* Unique stroke, ischemic or hemorrhagic
* at the chronic phase (\< 6 months)
* Written informed consent
* subject having a social insurance
* Subject who consent to complete all the study's experiments

Healthy controls group:

* Man or Woman
* Age 18-80y
* No history of neurological or psychiatric disease.

Exclusion Criteria:

Stroke group

* Subject who is unable to consent (due to dementia, severe aphasia, psychiatric disorder...)
* History of other neurologic disorders
* Significant le vel of depression or anxiety, assessed by the STAI and the BDI questionnaires
* Non corrected visual loss
* Subjects suffering from visual neglect (assessed by the Bells Test and a bisection test (20mm)
* contra-indications to MRI
* pregnant or breastfeeding woman
* Women of childbearing age without effective contraception

Healthy controls group

* Subject who is unable to consent (due to dementia, severe aphasia, psychiatric disorder...)
* History of neurologic disorders
* Significant level of depression or anxiety, assessed by the STAI and the BDI questionnaires
* Non-corrected visual loss
* contra-indications to MRI
* pregnant or breastfeeding woman
* Women of childbearing age without effective contraception

Where this trial is running

Lille

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions StrokeStroke SequelaeEmotionsstrokeemotionsneural bases
Last reviewed 2026-06-09 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.