Can a memory trick help MS patients feel better about themselves?

NCT ID NCT07064291

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Hospital, Grenoble Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Oct 02, 2026 · Last updated Oct 02, 2026

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a technique called the Lexical Association Technique (LAT) can improve self-esteem and well-being in adults recently diagnosed with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. The technique uses repeated mental visualization of positive personal memories to strengthen links between the self and positive concepts. Participants are randomly assigned to either the LAT group or an active control group, complete short exercises at home on a computer, and fill out questionnaires about self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life over several weeks. The trial compares the two groups to see if LAT produces greater and longer-lasting improvements.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: The Lexical Association Technique (LAT), a memory-based visualization exercise
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a low-cost, home-based way to help people with multiple sclerosis feel better about themselves and cope with the emotional side of the disease.
What could go wrong: This is a psychological technique tested in a single trial, and self-esteem can improve for many reasons. The benefits may be small or fade, and the results may not apply to people with different forms of MS or those not on oral treatment.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 160 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jan 2026

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

INCLUSION CRITERIA * Native French speaker * Access to a computer and internet connection at home * Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis according to the revised criteria of Thompson et al. (2018), either relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive form, between 1 and 5 years since disease onset (RRMS or SPMS entry phase) * Currently receiving first- or second-line oral treatment (e.g., Teriflunomide, Dimethylfumarate, Fingolimod, Cladribine) * Adult participants (age ≥ 18) NON-INCLUSION CRITERIA * Participant currently excluded from another study * Individuals covered by Articles L1121-5 to L1121-8 of the French Public Health Code (CSP), i.e., legally protected persons: pregnant women, women in labor, breastfeeding mothers, individuals deprived of liberty by judicial or administrative decision, individuals under psychiatric care under Articles L.3212-1 and L.3213-1 not falling under Article L.1121-8, individuals admitted to healthcare or social institutions for reasons other than research, minors, individuals under legal protection or unable to provide informed consent * Staff members with a hierarchical link to the principal investigator SECONDARY EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Participants not presenting with low self-esteem, i.e., score \>26 on the Self-Esteem Scale (EES; Vallières \& Vallerand, 1990) * Major life event significantly affecting well-being in the two weeks prior to study inclusion (e.g., bereavement, separation, childbirth, etc.) * Initiation of psychological, psychiatric, or pharmacological treatment (anxiolytics, antidepressants) within one month prior to study start

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

multiple sclerosis Psychological Well-Being relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Multiple sclerosis Quality of life (QOL)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Can a memory trick help MS patients feel better about themselves?

What the study statuses mean