Autism Spectrum DisordersAUTATTENNCT02160119
Emotional and Change-related Attention in Autism
An observational study of Autism Spectrum Disorders, run by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
Several studies seem to indicate that emotional attention and change-related attention are impaired in ASD. The goal of this study is to identify the relationships between those two types of automatic attention in visual and auditory modalities in subjects with ASD compared to healthy controls and also, over the… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 to 45 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- What is being tested?
- MRI-based techniques and EEG
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 27 May 2014to 27 May 2018
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 5 to 45 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Study population: Children/ adults with ASD and healthy children/ adults
Who may be able to join
- No past history of central nervous system disorders
- Written consent
- Affiliated to the National Health Insurance
- Do not participate to another biomedical research
- For ASD group: Children with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-V criteria) and adults with high-functioning autism
- For healthy subjects: No past history of difficulties in early childhood for acquisition of walk, language or reading and no psychiatric disorders
Who cannot join
- Abnormal corrected vision
- Abnormal audition
- Not stabilized psychoactive treatment or treatment that can modify electrogenesis
- Infectious or metabolic diseases
- Epilepsies
- Impossibility to participate to the whole study
- For subjects participating to the MRI recordings: MRI counter-indications (pace-makers ...), claustrophobia or a positive pregnancy test
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Several studies seem to indicate that emotional attention and change-related attention are impaired in ASD. The goal of this study is to identify the relationships between those two types of automatic attention in visual and auditory modalities in subjects with ASD compared to healthy controls and also, over the course of development (children, adults). In order to achieve this goal, the investigators will use complementary techniques (EEG and MRI-based techniques (fMRI, DTI)).
Read the detailed description
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by major handicap in social interaction and in daily life adaptation. The orienting response towards potentially relevant events involves automatic attentional mechanisms that would be elicited mainly by two classes of biologically important stimulations: novel stimuli and emotional stimuli. The neural basis of emotional and change-related attention in ASD will be explored by investigating brain reactivity in both visual and auditory modalities, during tasks mixing emotional and non emotional stimuli.
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Being tested
- MRI-based techniques, EEG
- Keywords
- Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emotion, Attention, Event-related potential, Functional neuroimaging, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Development
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MRI-based techniquesOther
Also called Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Diffusion Tensor Imaging
fMRI, DTI
EEGOther
Also called Electroencephaolgraphy, Event-related potential (ERP)
ERP
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Controls | Not described Receives: Other: MRI-based techniques; Other: EEG | |
| Autism Spectrum Disorders | Not described Receives: Other: MRI-based techniques; Other: EEG |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Neural responses to neutral and emotional stimuli
ERP (Event-related potential), fMRI and DTI
Measured: 1 day
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jun 2014 (estimated)
- Study start27 May 2014
- Primary completionMay 2018
- Study completion27 May 2018
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Autism Spectrum DisordersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, FranceThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Frédérique BONNET-BRILHAULT, MD,PhD, Principal investigator, Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02160119
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- C13-26
- Other IDs
- 2013-A01315-40
- Acronym
- AUTATTEN
- Status last verified
- Aug 2021
- First submitted
- 3 Jun 2014
- Last updated
- 18 Nov 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Charpentier J, Kovarski K, Roux S, Houy-Durand E, Saby A, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Latinus M, Gomot M. Brain mechanisms involved in angry prosody change detection in school-age children and adults, revealed by electrophysiology. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2018 Aug;18(4):748-763. doi: 10.3758/s13415-018-0602-8.
PubMed 29736682Kovarski K, Latinus M, Charpentier J, Clery H, Roux S, Houy-Durand E, Saby A, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Batty M, Gomot M. Facial Expression Related vMMN: Disentangling Emotional from Neutral Change Detection. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Jan 30;11:18. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00018. eCollection 2017.
PubMed 28194102Charpentier J, Latinus M, Andersson F, Saby A, Cottier JP, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Houy-Durand E, Gomot M. Brain correlates of emotional prosodic change detection in autism spectrum disorder. Neuroimage Clin. 2020;28:102512. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102512. Epub 2020 Nov 27.
PubMed 33395999Kovarski K, Charpentier J, Roux S, Batty M, Houy-Durand E, Gomot M. Emotional visual mismatch negativity: a joint investigation of social and non-social dimensions in adults with autism. Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Jan 5;11(1):10. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-01133-5.
PubMed 33414385Charpentier J, Kovarski K, Houy-Durand E, Malvy J, Saby A, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Latinus M, Gomot M. Emotional prosodic change detection in autism Spectrum disorder: an electrophysiological investigation in children and adults. J Neurodev Disord. 2018 Sep 18;10(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s11689-018-9246-9.
PubMed 30227832
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Nov 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Emotional and Change-related Attention in Autism
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02160119
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AUTATTEN / C13-26
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Keywords
- Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emotion, Attention, Event-related potential, Functional neuroimaging, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Development
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, FranceOther government
- Study start
- 27 May 2014 (actual)
- Primary completion
- May 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 May 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 10 Jun 2014 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Several studies seem to indicate that emotional attention and change-related attention are impaired in ASD. The goal of this study is to identify the relationships between those two types of automatic attention in visual and auditory modalities in subjects with ASD compared to healthy controls and also, over the course of development (children, adults). In order to achieve this goal, the investigators will use complementary techniques (EEG and MRI-based techniques (fMRI, DTI)).
Detailed description
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by major handicap in social interaction and in daily life adaptation. The orienting response towards potentially relevant events involves automatic attentional mechanisms that would be elicited mainly by two classes of biologically important stimulations: novel stimuli and emotional stimuli. The neural basis of emotional and change-related attention in ASD will be explored by investigating brain reactivity in both visual and auditory modalities, during tasks mixing emotional and non emotional stimuli.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Controls | – | Other: MRI-based techniques, Other: EEG |
| Autism Spectrum Disorders | – | Other: MRI-based techniques, Other: EEG |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 5 to 45 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
- Study population
- Children/ adults with ASD and healthy children/ adults
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- No past history of central nervous system disorders
- Written consent
- Affiliated to the National Health Insurance
- Do not participate to another biomedical research
- For ASD group: Children with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-V criteria) and adults with high-functioning autism
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Abnormal corrected vision
- Abnormal audition
- Not stabilized psychoactive treatment or treatment that can modify electrogenesis
- Infectious or metabolic diseases
- Epilepsies
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| MRI-based techniquesAlso: Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Diffusion Tensor ImagingfMRI, DTI | Other | Autism Spectrum Disorders, Healthy Controls |
| EEGAlso: Electroencephaolgraphy, Event-related potential (ERP)ERP | Other | Autism Spectrum Disorders, Healthy Controls |
Primary outcome
Neural responses to neutral and emotional stimuli
Time frame: 1 day
ERP (Event-related potential), fMRI and DTI
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 Nov 2025.
- Results publication: PubMed 29736682Charpentier J, Kovarski K, Roux S, Houy-Durand E, Saby A, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Latinus M, Gomot M. Brain mechanisms involved in angry prosody change detection in school-age children and adults, revealed by electrophysiology. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2018 Aug;18(4):748-763. doi: 10.3758/s13415-018-0602-8.
- Results publication: PubMed 28194102Kovarski K, Latinus M, Charpentier J, Clery H, Roux S, Houy-Durand E, Saby A, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Batty M, Gomot M. Facial Expression Related vMMN: Disentangling Emotional from Neutral Change Detection. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Jan 30;11:18. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00018. eCollection 2017.
- Results publication: PubMed 33395999Charpentier J, Latinus M, Andersson F, Saby A, Cottier JP, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Houy-Durand E, Gomot M. Brain correlates of emotional prosodic change detection in autism spectrum disorder. Neuroimage Clin. 2020;28:102512. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102512. Epub 2020 Nov 27.
- Results publication: PubMed 33414385Kovarski K, Charpentier J, Roux S, Batty M, Houy-Durand E, Gomot M. Emotional visual mismatch negativity: a joint investigation of social and non-social dimensions in adults with autism. Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Jan 5;11(1):10. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-01133-5.
- Results publication: PubMed 30227832Charpentier J, Kovarski K, Houy-Durand E, Malvy J, Saby A, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Latinus M, Gomot M. Emotional prosodic change detection in autism Spectrum disorder: an electrophysiological investigation in children and adults. J Neurodev Disord. 2018 Sep 18;10(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s11689-018-9246-9.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Frédérique BONNET-BRILHAULT, MD,PhD principal investigator
Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Autism Spectrum Disorders, run by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France at 1 site in France.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Nov 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Neural responses to neutral and emotional stimuli (time frame: 1 day). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02160119, which also lists 5 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Nov 2025.