The main objective is to examine the potential mentalization impairments affecting a population suffering from narcolepsy type 1. Indeed, the hypothesis of this research is that mentalization could be impaired in narcoleptic patients.
Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is a rare and still poorly understood pathology which can have a significant impact on patient's daily life. Beyond the experience of their chronic illness, their feelings about the difficulties they go through during their lives seem relatively blunted, as if what could be described as restrictive could be acceptable for them. Moreover, the response generated by constraint, even if it is a refusal, rarely turns out to be impulsive or aggressive. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is known to play a role in emotional regulation and also in narcolepsy. These processes both take place in hypothalamus, so, a link between them seems conceivable. Surprisingly, the studies about depression, impulsivity, addictions, facial emotional recognition in narcoleptic patients show results that differs from the expectations of the investigators, and can even be at the opposite. It appears difficult to have a clear idea of the mental state of narcoleptic patients. Mentalization is a concept with a strong empirical base. It corresponds to ability to understand the mental state, of oneself or others, that underlies overt behaviour. The idea of this research is that this process is modified in narcoleptic patients. The main objective is to examine the potential mentalization impairments affecting a population suffering from narcolepsy type 1. To realise this study a group of patients with NT1 and a control group will complete several questionnaires which are validated about mentalization and other ones. This combination of questionnaire is designed to evaluate the comparability of the groups and search for potential confounding factors.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
60
complete several questionnaires including the RFQ (reflective functioning questionnaire) and the MST (Mental states task) which are validated questionnaires about mentalization
University Hospital Toulouse, Centre de compétence Narcolepsies et Hypersomnies rares, Hôpital Pierre-Paul Riquet
Toulouse, France
RECRUITINGComparison of mentalization abilities, in a population of patients with NT1 versus a control group.
Scores obtained for the two sub-dimensions of the Reflective functioning questionnaire (RFQ) scale: RFQc and RFQu
Time frame: During the inclusion visit
Comparison and description of mentalization abilities in a population of patients versus controls.
comparison of Mental states task scale
Time frame: During the inclusion visit
Better characterization of the clinical impression of an altered subjective experience of the difficulties the patients are going through.
comparison of Satisfaction with life scale
Time frame: During the inclusion visit
Determination of the existence of a correlation between the time of appearance of the first symptoms and the initiation of treatment and the level of mentalization in NT1 patients, or not.
Time between the appearance of the first symptoms of narcolepsy and the initiation of treatment (only in the patient group)
Time frame: During the inclusion visit
Determination of the existence of a correlation between the age at the first symptoms of NT1 patients and mentalization abilities, or not.
Age at the first symptoms of narcolepsy (only in the patient group)
Time frame: During the inclusion visit
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