Consciousness AssessmentNCINCT07786298
New Consciousness Indicators (NCI)
An observational study of Consciousness Assessment, run by University of Liege at 1 site in Belgium.
Trial summary
The assessment of the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) represents a major clinical and ethical challenge, as it may influence therapeutic decision-making. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Consciousness Assessment
- How many people
- 100 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBelgium
- Study dates
- Sep 2026to Jun 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Volunteer participants without disorders of consciousness
Who may be able to join
- Adult, French-speaking individuals with no neurological and/or psychiatric disorders or history thereof, and no uncorrected sensorimotor deficits.
Who cannot join
- Minors, non-French-speaking individuals, individuals with neurological and/or psychiatric disorders or a history thereof, and individuals with uncorrected sensorimotor deficits.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Belgium1 site
Coma Science Group
Liège, 4000
Prune C Desmars, +33679806844, coma@uliege.be
Olivia PD Gosseries, coma@uliege.be
About this study
Official title: Validation of New Consciousness Indicators in Conscious Participants
The assessment of the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) represents a major clinical and ethical challenge, as it may influence therapeutic decision-making. Despite the use of standardized assessment tools such as the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), diagnostic errors persist. In order to improve the identification of residual conscious activity, several research studies have focused on identifying and validating new clinical indicators of consciousness.
In addition to the items already included in the CRS-R to characterize a minimally conscious state, some behavioral manifestations that are not yet included in current assessment scales are being investigated for their diagnostic potential. Mat et al. (2022) proposed several behavioral indicators, including leg crossing, auditory localization, habituation to the auditory startle reflex, resistance to eye opening, spontaneous blink rate, certain motor behaviors, facial expressions in response to nociceptive stimulation, swallowing or oral intake, and responses to olfactory stimuli. To these indicators, we added other potentially relevant behavioral manifestations, including responses to tickling, anticipation of painful stimulation, and responses to pleasant touch.
Read more
These different items were grouped into an Additional Signs of Consciousness (ASC) Scale. This scale aims to investigate whether these behavioral manifestations may constitute reliable new indicators of consciousness and contribute to improving the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of patients with DoC.
To date, this scale has primarily been used in post-coma patients with DoC. However, it is essential to assess the validity of these indicators in healthy, fully conscious participants. Indeed, the relevance of these signs as indicators of residual consciousness in post-coma patients can only be properly interpreted if they are also observable in conscious individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study is to validate these new indicators of consciousness in conscious participants.
- Conditions
- Consciousness Assessment
- Keywords
- Consciousness Assessment, Consciousness Indicators, Additional Signs of Consciousness (ASC)
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Additional signs of consciousness scale
Measured: single time point
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Aug 2026
- Study startSep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionJun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJun 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Consciousness AssessmentStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Other
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Liege
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07786298
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-239
- Other IDs
- 2026-239
- Acronym
- NCI
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 21 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 25 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Validation of New Consciousness Indicators in Conscious Participants
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07786298
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NCI / 2026-239
- Conditions
- Consciousness Assessment
- Keywords
- Consciousness Assessment, Consciousness Indicators, Additional Signs of Consciousness (ASC)
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of LiegeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jun 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Aug 2026 (actual)
- 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.
The assessment of the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) represents a major clinical and ethical challenge, as it may influence therapeutic decision-making. Despite the use of standardized assessment tools such as the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), diagnostic errors persist. In order to improve the identification of residual conscious activity, several research studies have focused on identifying and validating new clinical indicators of consciousness.
In addition to the items already included in the CRS-R to characterize a minimally conscious state, some behavioral manifestations that are not yet included in current assessment scales are being investigated for their diagnostic potential. Mat et al. (2022) proposed several behavioral indicators, including leg crossing, auditory localization, habituation to the auditory startle reflex, resistance to eye opening, spontaneous blink rate, certain motor behaviors, facial expressions in response to nociceptive stimulation, swallowing or oral intake, and responses to olfactory stimuli. To these indicators, we added other potentially relevant behavioral manifestations, including responses to tickling, anticipation of painful stimulation, and responses to pleasant touch.
These different items were grouped into an Additional Signs of Consciousness (ASC) Scale. This scale aims to investigate whether these behavioral manifestations may constitute reliable new indicators of consciousness and contribute to improving the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of patients with DoC.
To date, this scale has primarily been used in post-coma patients with DoC. However, it is essential to assess the validity of these indicators in healthy, fully conscious participants. Indeed, the relevance of these signs as indicators of residual consciousness in post-coma patients can only be properly interpreted if they are also observable in conscious individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study is to validate these new indicators of consciousness in conscious participants.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Volunteer participants without disorders of consciousness
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Adult, French-speaking individuals with no neurological and/or psychiatric disorders or history thereof, and no uncorrected sensorimotor deficits.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Minors, non-French-speaking individuals, individuals with neurological and/or psychiatric disorders or a history thereof, and individuals with uncorrected sensorimotor deficits.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Additional signs of consciousness scale
Time frame: single time point
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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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.
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 Consciousness Assessment, run by University of Liege at 1 site in Belgium.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Aug 2026. 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 Belgium. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Additional signs of consciousness scale (time frame: single time point). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 25 Aug 2026.