Understanding the Role of Myelin in Brain Function During Adolescence

Implications of Myelin in Executive Control in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

This study looks at how myelin in the brain affects thinking and decision-making in kids and young adults aged 10 to 25.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 128 (estimated)
• Ages: 10 Years to 25 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier St Anne (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Paris)
• Trial ID: NCT06868966 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational study aims to explore the relationship between myelin levels in the brain and cognitive control functions in adolescents and young adults. Using non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), researchers will assess the microstructural properties of myelin and its impact on cognitive abilities associated with the prefrontal cortex. Participants aged 10 to 25 will undergo clinical examinations, MRI scans, and cognitive assessments to gather data on how myelin influences executive control during critical developmental stages. The findings could provide insights into brain development and cognitive functioning.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are right-handed adolescents and young adults aged 10 to 25 who are fluent in French and have no contraindications for MRI.

Not a fit: Patients outside the age range of 10 to 25, those with MRI contraindications, or individuals with significant psychiatric or substance abuse issues may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could enhance our understanding of brain development and inform strategies to support cognitive functioning in young individuals.

How similar studies have performed: While studies on myelin and cognitive function exist, this specific approach focusing on adolescents and young adults using MRI is relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Male or female; Subject aged 10 to 25 years; Right-handed preference; Subject, or legal representative, who has given consent to participate; Native language: French; Subject affiliated with a social security system; Having signed their consent to participate (and their legal representative if applicable), subjects and parents have read the information letter and given their free and informed consent. In cases where only one parent gives consent (for minors), this must be justified (such as no contact with the other parent for over a year).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not corresponding to the targeted age range;
* Subject with contraindications to an MRI examination (pacemaker or neurosensory stimulator or implantable defibrillator, cochlear implants, ferromagnetic foreign bodies in the eyes or brain near neural structures, metal prostheses, patient agitation: non-cooperative or agitated patients, minors, claustrophobic subjects, pregnant women, ventriculoperitoneal neurosurgical shunt valves, dental braces);
* Subject with chronic alcohol or drug use;
* Abuse or dependence on substances (except nicotine) or toxic substances for more than 5 years or having led to comas (overdoses);
* Subject with sudden-onset cognitive disorders that could indicate a stroke; a history of head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 1 hour, or encephalitis;
* Subject with chronic neurological, psychiatric, endocrine, hepatic, or infectious conditions;
* Subject with a history of major illness (diabetes, chronic lung disease, severe cardiac, metabolic, hematological, endocrine, or immunological disorder, cancer);
* Subject on medication: taking medications likely to interfere with brain imaging measurements (psychotropics, anxiolytic hypnotics, neuroleptics, anti-Parkinsonians, benzodiazepines, steroidal anti-inflammatories, antiepileptics, central analgesics, and muscle relaxants);
* Color blindness;
* Inability to comply with the study for geographical or psychiatric reasons;
* Tattoo incompatible with MRI;
* Cerebral palsy;
* Fine motor skills disorder;
* Pregnant women at the time of inclusion;
* Adult subjects under legal protection or unable to give consent (article L.1121-8 of the French Public Health Code) (under guardianship or curatorship);
* Children and parents under legal protection measures

Where this trial is running

Paris

• GHU Ste Anne — Paris, France (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Arnaud Cachia

Conditions: Mental Health