Improving social cognition and behavior in patients with brain disorders

Improving Social Cognition and Social Behaviour in Various Brain Disorders.

Not applicable Interventional University Medical Center Groningen · NCT06330298

This study is testing a new program to help people with brain disorders improve their social skills and emotional understanding.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment84 (estimated)
Ages18 Years to 75 Years
SexAll
SponsorUniversity Medical Center Groningen Academic / other
Locations2 sites (Deventer, Overijssel and 1 other locations)
Trial IDNCT06330298 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study focuses on enhancing social cognition and emotional regulation in patients suffering from neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and brain tumors. It employs a novel intervention called T-ScEmo, which aims to improve skills like emotion recognition, perspective taking, and empathy. The treatment is designed for individuals who have chronic social cognitive disorders and are in a stable condition, allowing them to benefit from the intervention over time.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are adults aged 18 to 75 with chronic social cognitive disorders stemming from neurological conditions.

Not a fit: Patients with acute neurological conditions or those outside the age range may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could significantly improve the quality of life and social functioning for patients with neurological disorders.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have shown success in improving social cognition in traumatic brain injury, suggesting potential for this approach in other neurological disorders.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients should have social cognitive disorders that show by means of problems in emotion recognition, perspective taking, ToM, showing empathy, or behaviour.
* Patients should have a neurological disorder; stroke (including patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage), Multiple sclerosis (MS), both relapsing remitting, primary and secondary progressive variants, Brain tumours (meningioma's, low grade gliomas) and other categories of neurological disorders including brain damage: (i.e. infections (meningitis, encephalitis), post anoxic encephalopathy, adult survivors of childhood brain tumours).
* Patients should be aged between 18 and 75
* Patients should be in the chronic stage (\> 6 months post-acute injuries) or their medical condition should be relatively stable (for patients with a slow progressive conditions), to be judged by the treating medical or psychological specialist, in order to be able to profit from treatment for a reasonable time period.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Serious neurodegenerative or psychiatric conditions (including addiction) interfering with treatment
* Incapacity to act, to be judged by the neuropsychologist and/or neurologist
* Serious cognitive problems (aphasia, neglect, amnesia, dementia) and/or serious behavioural problems (aggression, apathy) interfering with treatment, to be judged by neuropsychologist.
* Serious (other) medical conditions or physical inability hindering patients to come to the hospital/rehabilitation centre
* Not being available of a close other (life partner, family member, close friend) who can fill out the proxy questionnaires
* Not willing to give permission to send important/unexpected findings to the general practitioner.
* Unexpected progression of disease during the study can be a reason to exclude the patient
* Not sufficient command of the Dutch Language.

Where this trial is running

Deventer, Overijssel and 1 other locations

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 StrokeMultiple SclerosisBrain TumorNeuropsychologyTreatmentSocial cognitive disordersEmotion recognitionTheory of Mind
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 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.