NCT07732842Recruiting
Study of Repetitive Behaviors in Alzheimer's Disease
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 10 Sept 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by anterograde amnesia, the inability to memorize and remember events occurring after the cerebral lesion. Among the most frequently reported psychobehavioral symptoms are repetitive behaviors (RBs), defined as actions or statements repeated in an inappropriate and non-functional way. The most commonly used tool to assess repetitive behaviors is the Stereotypy Rating Inventory (SRI). It is a questionnaire that evaluates five types of stereotypical behavior: eating, wandering, speech, movements, and daily routines. The frequency and severity of the behaviors are reported, and a total score can be calculated. There is no consensus on the types of repetitive behaviors observed specifically in AD, their frequency, or their cognitive correlates, nor is there a hypothesis explaining why these symptoms do not occur in all AD patients. Furthermore, certain parameters, such as anosognosia (lack of awareness of the disorders), have not been linked to RBs in the literature. We propose to evaluate patients with anterograde amnesia in terms of cognition and behavior-specifically, the presence or absence of both RBs and anosognosia-to examine possible links between cognitive performance, anosognosia, and RB. Moreover, there is no theoretical framework explaining the emergence of RBs in amnesia. We suggest that RBs are linked to a lack of memory updating in the cognitive system. Since episodic memory no longer provides mnemonic feedback, previously encountered stimuli may trigger repeated behavior. To test this hypothesis, we decided to conduct a multicenter, cross-sectional, case-control study. Patients with AD, with or without RBs, as well as healthy subjects, were repeatedly presented with sentence starters to complete freely, with the aim of studying the similarity of responses across sessions for each participant. We also included a patient with pure anterograde amnesia from a previously submitted case study protocol, who exhibited pronounced RBs symptomatology following neurosurgery (non-AD patient), to examine the phenomenon in a non-Alzheimer's context.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Observational
- Enrollment
- 103 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 23 Jul 2026
- Start date
- 24 Jun 2021
- Primary completion date
- 24 Feb 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Centre Hospitalier Esquirol
- Diseases
- Alzheimer disease
- NCT number
- NCT07732842
What you commit to
- Study type: Observational
- Planned participants: 103
- From 24 Jun 2021 to the primary completion date, 24 Feb 2027
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- Participants must not have a history of alcohol or other substance dependence in the past 12 months.
- Participants must not have any other neurological condition (with the exception of patients with AA anterograde amnesia). Any history of moderate to severe head trauma, stroke, or developmental disorders is a criterion for exclusion.
Other
- Isolated participants (without an identified caregiver) (RB+ and RB- groups)
Who the study is looking for
- I- RB+ (n=42) and RB- (n=30) groups :
- MMSE \> 20
- 1 reliable family caregiver identified per patient
- Patients under legal protection (guardianship/curatorship) or not
- Selection:
- 4.a. AD patients with an SRI score \> 0 will constitute the RB+ subgroup. 4.b. Only the first 30 patients included will undergo V2, V3, and V4. The first 30 AD patients included with an SRI score = 0 will constitute the RB- subgroup.
- II- Control group: healthy subjects (n=30)
- Healthy subjects
- MMSE ≥ 26/30
- Men and women matched to AD patients in terms of age and sociocultural level.
- Healthy subjects will be included by the CMRR in Limoges
- III- Control group: Patient with anterograde amnesia (AA) (n=1):
- The patient with anterograde amnesia is a patient who participated in the ANISAAFORNIX study (another study submitted by the investigator) and is included in this study due to rich RB symptomatology. He is a 54-year-old man with lesions of the fornix following complications from neurosurgery, which led to severe anterograde amnesia. This patient does not have AD.
- This patient is under legal protection (guardianship).
- Patient monitored and included at the CMRR in Limoges.
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esquirol Hospital Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Limoges | France | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.