Cutoff scores for the “Interest game”, an application for the assessment of diminished interest in neurocognitive disorders

Diminished interest is a core feature of apathy that shows high prevalence in people with Mild and Major Neurocognitive disorders (NCD). In the clinical setting, apathy is mainly assessed using clinical scales and questionnaires, but new technologies are starting to be employed to complement classical instruments. Here, we explored the performance of the “Interest game,” a ludic application that assesses personal interests, in discriminating between persons with and without diminished interest based on the Apathy Diagnostic Criteria. Two hundred and twenty-seven elderly participants (56 healthy controls, 118 persons with mild-NCD, and 53 with major-NCD) completed the Interest game and were assessed by clinicians concerning the presence and the severity of apathy. Results showed that the application scores varied with the presence of apathy, the type of disorder, and the education level. Cutoff scores calculated for persons with Mild-NCD resulted in a sensitivity of 0.68 and a specificity of 0.65 for the main score index, suggesting the interest of employing this application in the clinical setting to complement the classical assessment

First results from the SafEE project: Safe & Easy Environment for Alzheimer's

International audienc

In-Person and Remote Workshops for People With Neurocognitive Disorders: Recommendations From a Delphi Panel

Workshops using arts and board games are forms of non-pharmacological intervention widely employed in seniors with neurocognitive disorders. However, clear guidelines on how to conduct these workshops are missing. The objective of the Art and Game project (AGAP) was to draft recommendations on the structure and content of workshops for elderly people with neurocognitive disorders and healthy seniors, with a particular focus on remote/hybrid workshops, in which at least a part of the participants is connected remotely. Recommendations were gathered using a Delphi methodology. The expert panel (N = 18) included experts in the health, art and/or board games domains. They answered questions via two rounds of web-surveys, and then discussed the results in a plenary meeting. Some of the questions were also shared with the general public (N = 101). Both the experts and the general public suggested that organizing workshops in a hybrid format (some face-to-face sessions, some virtual session) is feasible and interesting for people with neurocognitive disorders. We reported guidelines on the overall structure of workshops, practical tips on how to organize remote workshops, and a SWOT analysis of the use of remote/hybrid workshops. The guidelines may be employed by clinicians to decide, based on their needs and constraints, what interventions and what kind of workshop format to employ, as well as by researcher to standardize procedures to assess the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments for people with neurocognitive disorders

Recommendations for the non-pharmacological treatment of apathy in brain disorders

Apathy is a common neuropsychiatric syndrome observed across many neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although there are currently no definitive standard therapies for the treatment of apathy, non-pharmacological treatment (NPT) is often considered to be at the forefront of clinical management. However, guidelines on how to select, prescribe and administer NPT in clinical practice are lacking. Furthermore, although new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are beginning to be employed in NPT, their role is still unclear. The objective of the present work is to provide recommendations for the use of NPT for apathy, and to discuss the role of ICT in this domain, based on opinions gathered from experts in the field. The expert panel included 20 researchers and healthcare professionals working on brain disorders and apathy. Following a standard Delphi methodology, experts answered questions via several rounds of web-surveys, and then discussed the results in a plenary meeting. The experts suggested that NPT are useful to consider as therapy for people presenting with different neurocognitive and psychiatric diseases at all stages, with evidence of apathy across domains. The presence of a therapist and/or a caregiver is important in delivering NPT effectively, but parts of the treatment may be performed by the patient alone. NPT can be delivered both in clinical settings and at home. However, while remote treatment delivery may be cost and time-effective, it should be considered with caution, and tailored based on the patient's cognitive and physical profile and living conditions

Recommendations for the Use of Serious Games in Neurodegenerative Disorders: 2016 Delphi Panel

The use of Serious Games (SG) in the health domain is expanding. In the field of neurodegenerative disorders (ND) such as Alzheimer’s disease, SG are currently employed both to support and improve the assessment of different functional and cognitive abilities, and to provide alternative solutions for patients’ treatment, stimulation, and rehabilitation. As the field is quite young, recommendations on the use of SG in people with ND are still rare. In 2014 we proposed some initial recommendations (Robert et al., 2014). The aim of the present work was to update them, thanks to opinions gathered by experts in the field during an expert Delphi panel. Results confirmed that SG are adapted to elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and can be employed for several purposes, including assessment, stimulation, and improving wellbeing, with some differences depending on the population (e.g., physical stimulation may be better suited for people with MCI). SG are more adapted for use with trained caregivers (both at home and in clinical settings), with a frequency ranging from 2 to 4 times a week. Importantly, the target of SG, their frequency of use and the context in which they are played depend on the SG typology (e.g., Exergame, cognitive game), and should be personalized with the help of a clinician

Recommendations for the Use of Serious Games in Neurodegenerative Disorders: 2016 Delphi Panel

International audienceThe use of Serious Games (SG) in the health domain is expanding. In the field of neurodegenerative disorders (ND) such as Alzheimer’s disease, SG are currently employed both to support and improve the assessment of different functional and cognitive abilities, and to provide alternative solutions for patients’ treatment, stimulation, and rehabilitation. As the field is quite young, recommendations on the use of SG in people with ND are still rare. In 2014 we proposed some initial recommendations (Robert et al., 2014). The aim of the present work was to update them, thanks to opinions gathered by experts in the field during an expert Delphi panel. Results confirmed that SG are adapted to elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and can be employed for several purposes, including assessment, stimulation, and improving wellbeing, with some differences depending on the population (e.g., physical stimulation may be better suited for people with MCI). SG are more adapted for use with trained caregivers (both at home and in clinical settings), with a frequency ranging from 2 to 4 times a week. Importantly, the target of SG, their frequency of use and the context in which they are played depend on the SG typology (e.g., Exergame, cognitive game), and should be personalized with the help of a clinician

Elaboration et normalisation d'un test clinique visant à évaluer les troubles émotionnels

Emotions are all different, and the emotional experience varies from one person to another. It is essential to regulate our emotions because, at certain intensities, they can disrupt our body, our thoughts and our actions. Thus, emotion regulation is as essential to our personal balance as emotional experience. But certain diseases can damage the emotional network, and disrupt the interaction between emotional experience and emotion regulation. Currently the assessment of emotions is mainly based on tasks testing our ability to recognize or express them. And, even if emotion regulation capabilities are increasingly a matter of interest, they are currently measured outside any emotional context and through self-report scales, which have a number of biases. The objective of this thesis is to develop, standardize and validate a test based on a time estimation task to assess the emotional experience and emotion regulation when the emotion occurs. Our goal is to provide clinicians with a new tool to measure emotions, in order to ascertain, therefore improving the quality of life of patients suffering from these disorders the presence of certain disorders which are currently not evaluated by existing tests. We hope that highlighting the presence of these disorders will help to work on the possibilities of care and support.Les émotions sont toutes différentes et différemment perçues par chacun de nous. A une certaine intensité il est indispensable de les réguler car elles peuvent perturber notre corps, nos pensées, et nos actes. Ainsi, si le ressenti est indispensable à notre équilibre personnel, la régulation de ce dernier l’est également. Mais certaines pathologies peuvent léser ce réseau émotionnel basé sur l’interaction entre ressenti et régulation. Actuellement l’évaluation des émotions repose majoritairement sur nos capacités à les reconnaitre ou à les exprimer. Et, même si les capacités de régulation émotionnelle sont de plus en plus sources d’intérêt, elles sont actuellement mesurées hors contexte émotionnel et par le biais d’échelles auto-rapportées, ce qui comporte un certain nombre de biais. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’élaborer, de standardiser, et d’étalonner un test basé sur une tâche d’estimation temporelle permettant d’évaluer le ressenti émotionnel et la régulation de ce dernier au moment où l’émotion a lieu. Notre but est de fournir au clinicien un outil de mesure des émotions afin de mettre en évidence la présence de certains troubles actuellement non évalués. Nous espérons qu’une mise en évidence de ces troubles permettra par la suite une réflexion sur les possibilités de prise en charge, et par conséquent, une amélioration de la qualité de vie des patients souffrant de troubles de ce type

Évaluation et prise en charge des troubles émotionnels par le biais des nouvelles technologies

Emotions and new technologies often sound as an impossible association. However, in recent years, new Information and Communication Technologies (nICT) such as wearable sensors and software for activity recognition have enabled to assess emotions more accurately. This dissertation aimed at developing and testing various nICT-based tools allowing a better assessment and management of emotions, either at the behavioral, physiological or cognitive level. I started with a literature review of the existing nICT for the assessment and management of emotional disorders. I then gathered recommendations for the use of nICT from experts in the field, as well from interns in psychiatry and general practitioners (Study 1). Next, I developed a computerized test to assess impairments in emotional experience and emotion regulation at the physiological and cognitive level (Study 2). Study 3 consisted in developing a tool to manage emotional disorders at the physiological and cognitive level by means of a multisensory, virtual immersion, and assessing the effects of this immersion on the verbal ability of patients with and without cognitive impairment. Finally, in Study 4 I developed an automated platform for the assessment and management of emotional disorders at the behavioral level. In this context, I developed and evaluated the interest of employing activity recognition algorithms for the detection of behavioral emotional disorders, and I evaluated the effects of nonpharmacological solutions based on aromatherapy, music therapy and serious games for the management of these disorders.Émotions et nouvelles technologies apparaissent le plus souvent comme une alliance impossible. Pourtant, ces dernières années, les nouvelles technologies, telles que les capteurs portés et les logiciels de reconnaissance d’activités, ont permis une évaluation plus fine des émotions. A travers cette thèse notre objectif était de développer et de tester divers instruments technologiques permettant l’évaluation et la prise en charge des émotions que ce soit au niveau comportemental, physiologique ou cognitif. Nous avons commencé par faire un état des lieux des nouvelles technologies disponibles pour l’évaluation et la prise en charge des troubles émotionnels. Nous avons ensuite recueilli les recommandations d’experts pour leur utilisation ainsi que l’avis des internes de psychiatrie et des médecins généralistes. Au sein de notre deuxième étude, nous avons développé un test informatisé permettant de mesurer les défauts de ressenti et de régulation des émotions propres aux composantes physiologique et cognitive des émotions. Notre troisième étude a consisté à élaborer une prise en charge des troubles émotionnels dans ces deux composantes par une immersion sensori-virtuelle et à étudier l’effet de cette dernière sur le langage de patients avec et sans troubles cognitifs. Enfin, notre quatrième étude a visé à développer une plateforme automatisée d’évaluation et de prise en charge des troubles émotionnels dans la composante comportementale. Nous avons développé et évalué l’intérêt des algorithmes de reconnaissance d’activité pour leur détection et des solutions non pharmacologiques basées sur l’aromathérapie, la musicothérapie et les serious games pour leur prise en charge

New technologies to assess and take care emotional disorders

Émotions et nouvelles technologies apparaissent le plus souvent comme une alliance impossible. Pourtant, ces dernières années, les nouvelles technologies, telles que les capteurs portés et les logiciels de reconnaissance d’activités, ont permis une évaluation plus fine des émotions. A travers cette thèse notre objectif était de développer et de tester divers instruments technologiques permettant l’évaluation et la prise en charge des émotions que ce soit au niveau comportemental, physiologique ou cognitif. Nous avons commencé par faire un état des lieux des nouvelles technologies disponibles pour l’évaluation et la prise en charge des troubles émotionnels. Nous avons ensuite recueilli les recommandations d’experts pour leur utilisation ainsi que l’avis des internes de psychiatrie et des médecins généralistes. Au sein de notre deuxième étude, nous avons développé un test informatisé permettant de mesurer les défauts de ressenti et de régulation des émotions propres aux composantes physiologique et cognitive des émotions. Notre troisième étude a consisté à élaborer une prise en charge des troubles émotionnels dans ces deux composantes par une immersion sensori-virtuelle et à étudier l’effet de cette dernière sur le langage de patients avec et sans troubles cognitifs. Enfin, notre quatrième étude a visé à développer une plateforme automatisée d’évaluation et de prise en charge des troubles émotionnels dans la composante comportementale. Nous avons développé et évalué l’intérêt des algorithmes de reconnaissance d’activité pour leur détection et des solutions non pharmacologiques basées sur l’aromathérapie, la musicothérapie et les serious games pour leur prise en charge.Emotions and new technologies often sound as an impossible association. However, in recent years, new Information and Communication Technologies (nICT) such as wearable sensors and software for activity recognition have enabled to assess emotions more accurately. This dissertation aimed at developing and testing various nICT-based tools allowing a better assessment and management of emotions, either at the behavioral, physiological or cognitive level. I started with a literature review of the existing nICT for the assessment and management of emotional disorders. I then gathered recommendations for the use of nICT from experts in the field, as well from interns in psychiatry and general practitioners (Study 1). Next, I developed a computerized test to assess impairments in emotional experience and emotion regulation at the physiological and cognitive level (Study 2). Study 3 consisted in developing a tool to manage emotional disorders at the physiological and cognitive level by means of a multisensory, virtual immersion, and assessing the effects of this immersion on the verbal ability of patients with and without cognitive impairment. Finally, in Study 4 I developed an automated platform for the assessment and management of emotional disorders at the behavioral level. In this context, I developed and evaluated the interest of employing activity recognition algorithms for the detection of behavioral emotional disorders, and I evaluated the effects of nonpharmacological solutions based on aromatherapy, music therapy and serious games for the management of these disorders

Olfaction, émotions et comportements

International audienceLe nez a ses raisons que la raison ignore. Les émotions olfactives sont souvent inconscientes et vont pourtant diriger nombreux de nos comportements. Ce lien étroit entre émotion et olfaction est dû au fait que certaines régions cérébrales sont à la fois impliquées dans les processus olfactifs et émotionnels (cortex frontal et amygdale). Dans les pathologies neurodégénératives, dont la maladie d’Alzheimer (MA), ces structures vont être atteintes à des stades plus ou moins sévères de la maladie. Au-delà d’une aide au diagnostic précoce, nous avons montré que l’utilisation d’odorants pourrait aider au diagnostic différentiel entre certains troubles de l’humeur et la maladie d’Alzheimer [1]. Sentir et ressentir, humer et humeur : la langue française nous apporte déjà des preuves d’un lien étroit entre nos émotions et notre olfaction. De manière objective nous avons mis en évidence que les odorants étaient des générateurs d’émotion puissants et stables [2]. Ainsi les odeurs pourraient constituer une alternative non pharmacologique de prise en charge des troubles émotionnels de manière pratique, cette présentation abordera, en premier lieu, le lien précoce entre atteinte olfactive et psycho-comportementale dans la maladie d’Alzheimer puis l’intérêt de la stimulation olfactive dans la prise en charge non médicamenteuse des perturbations émotionnelles et comportementales dans cette pathologie. Pour finir, nous nous interrogerons sur l’apport de l’étude de l’olfaction dans la prise en charge des principaux syndromes émotionnels et thymiques du champ de la pathologie psychiatrique