From clinical cases to clinical research: Neurocognition and social cognition in schizophrenia

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S372-S372
Author(s):  
I. Gurovich ◽  
O. Papsuev ◽  
A. Shmukler ◽  
L. Movina ◽  
Y. Storozhakova
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Prodromal Phase ◽  
Clinical Cases

IntroductionNeurocognition and social cognition are the core deficits influencing social outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. These deficits are present in prodromal phase and throughout the illness, in first-degree relatives and are considered in the framework of neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative models.MethodFour clinical cases with patients reflecting different cognitive profiles were chosen to demonstrate heterogeneity of cognitive biases and their influence on the social function en vivo. The patients have undergone a number of neurocognitive and social cognitive measures.ResultsIn these four patients, we would like to highlight the dissociation of neurocognitive deficits, clinical manifestations and social functioning. Social cognitive measures revealed heterogeneity of biases in different domains. As a result of our observation, we can hypothesize that better social functioning was achieved by patients with better abilities to discriminate negative emotions and states of mind in others.ConclusionDespite certain limitations of case-report studies, it is hard not to point out heterogeneity and incoherence of social and neurocognition. We assume that intact domains of Processing of Emotions and Theory of Mind predispose to better social functioning, while it's hard to trace this connection to neurocognition. This result needs to be challenged on large samples in future research, concerning emotionality in Theory of Mind and capacity for empathy and its’ role in social functioning.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Depressive Traits and Theory of Mind in Healthy Individuals: A Mediation Study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas James Rowark
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Prepotent Response

Depression has been associated with poor social cognitive functioning, including impaired performance on measures of theory of mind. However, the association between depression and theory of mind performance has been removed when controlling for differences in executive functioning, which is also impacted by depression. Among these executive functions, inhibition of prepotent response has been demonstrated as enabling success on theory of mind tests. In the context of these findings, the current investigation tested whether a relationship could be found between depressive traits and theory of mind in a non-clinical sample, and whether this relationship was mediated by differences in executive control of inhibition. Theory of mind was assessed in 31 healthy individuals using an audio-presented false-belief reasoning task, which also tested baseline performance in non-mental-state reasoning. Inhibition of prepotent response was assessed with interference measures on a Stroop colour-word task, and depressive traits were self-reported through the second version of the Beck Depression Inventory. Mediation analysis revealed that executive control of inhibition did not significantly mediate an indirect effect of depressive traits on theory of mind. It was interpreted that relationships previously found between major depression, executive and social-cognitive functions do not generalise beyond clinical boundaries. However, these findings are discussed in terms of the small sample size, limiting statistical power, and several methodological limitations. Future research should assess the relationship between depressive traits and theory of mind using alternative measures of mental representation, or include a neurocognitive battery assessing executive functions other than inhibition.

Percezione sociale e paranoia: una rassegna

2009 ◽  
pp. 123-141
Author(s):  
Dennis R. Combs ◽  
Dustin J: Chapman ◽  
Casey Reneau
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Attributional Style ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Persecutory Delusions ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Current State ◽  
Interest In Research

- There has been an increased interest in research on paranoia and persecutory delusions. This is partly based on the idea that paranoia exists on a continuum ranging from sub-clinical to clinical levels. One area of interest is in social cognition as it may provide methods to understand how persons with paranoia perceive, interpret, and understand their social world. Previous research has showed that social cognition directly influences or mediates social functioning. Paranoia can be ideally approached from a social cognitive perspective, which makes understanding these processes even more important. For this review, we will focus on the current state of knowledge for paranoia as it pertains to the three primary domains of social cognition: 1) emotion/social perception, 2) theory of mind, and 3) attributional style. Deficits in emotion/social perception appear to be found across the paranoia continuum. In contrast, deficits in theory of mind and attributional style are typically found in persons with clinical levels of paranoia. Future studies should focus on understanding the processes that might underlie the deficits.

scholarly journals Social Cognition in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Idiopathic Developmental Neuropsychiatric Disorders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhideeta Jalal ◽  
Aarti Nair ◽  
Amy Lin ◽  
Ariel Eckfeld ◽  
Leila Kushan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
22Q11.2 Deletion Syndrome ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽  
Intellectual Functioning ◽  
Deletion Syndrome ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior. Methods: We examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 273 participants (mean age = 17.74+/-5.18% female = 44.3%): 50 with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 102 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2 nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning. Results: The 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to all other groups, even after controlling for intellectual functioning. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT, and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. Conclusions: Our findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. These results contribute to our understanding of the intellectual and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings of robust associations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasizes the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring these existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.

scholarly journals Social Cognition in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Idiopathic Developmental Neuropsychiatric Disorders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhideeta Jalal ◽  
Aarti Nair ◽  
Amy Lin ◽  
Ariel Eckfeld ◽  
Leila Kushan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
22Q11.2 Deletion Syndrome ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽  
Intellectual Functioning ◽  
Deletion Syndrome ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior. Methods We examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 306 participants (mean age = 16.63+/-4.59; % female = 44.8%): sixty-eight with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 117 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2 nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning. Results The 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to all other groups, even after controlling for intellectual functioning. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT, and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. Conclusions Our findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. These results contribute to our understanding of the intellectual and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings of robust associations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasizes the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring these existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.

scholarly journals Neural correlates of theory-of-mind are associated with variation in children’s everyday social cognition

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cora E Mukerji ◽  
Sarah Hope Lincoln ◽  
David Dodell-Feder ◽  
Charles A Nelson ◽  
Christine I Hooker
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mental States ◽  
False Belief ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Cognitive Behavior ◽  
School Age ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
False Belief Reasoning

ABSTRACT Theory of mind (ToM), the capacity to reason about others’ mental states, is central to healthy social development. Neural mechanisms supporting ToM may contribute to individual differences in children’s social cognitive behavior. Employing a false belief functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm, we identified patterns of neural activity and connectivity elicited by ToM reasoning in school-age children (N = 32, ages 9–13). Next, we tested relations between these neural ToM correlates and children’s everyday social cognition. Several key nodes of the neural ToM network showed greater activity when reasoning about false beliefs (ToM condition) vs non-mentalistic false content (control condition), including the bilateral temporoparietal junction (RTPJ and LTPJ), precuneus (PC) and right superior temporal sulcus. In addition, children demonstrated task-modulated changes in connectivity among these regions to support ToM relative to the control condition. ToM-related activity in the PC was negatively associated with variation in multiple aspects of children’s social cognitive behavior. Together, these findings elucidate how nodes of the ToM network act and interact to support false belief reasoning in school-age children and suggest that neural ToM mechanisms are linked to variation in everyday social cognition.

scholarly journals Cognitive and Social Functioning Deficits after Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis: An Exploratory Case Series

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 828-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma L. McKeon ◽  
James G. Scott ◽  
Donna M. Spooner ◽  
Alexander E. Ryan ◽  
Stefan Blum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Autoimmune Disorder ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Normal Limits ◽  
Aspartate Receptor ◽  
Nmdar Encephalitis ◽  
Multi Stage

AbstractBackground: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a recently described life-threatening autoimmune disorder associated with a characteristic multi-stage neuropsychiatric syndrome. Although it is known that the majority of patients experience neuropsychological disturbance post-treatment, some aspects of the cognitive profile remain unclear. Methods: This study sought to investigate patterns of cognitive functioning in a sample of anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients. Seven (6F:1M; mean age, 26.4 years; range, 16–37 years) treated patients completed a comprehensive set of neurocognitive and social functioning measures. Performance was analyzed using normative data (where available), and comparison with matched controls (10F:4M; mean age, 25.8 years; range, 16–38 years). Results: Individual cognitive profiles ranged from within normal limits to extensive dysfunction. Relative to controls, the patient group’s performance was affected in the domains of verbal/ visual memory, working memory, attention, processing speed, executive functioning, and social cognition. The patient group also reported significantly higher levels of anxiety compared to controls. Conclusions: These results add to the accumulating evidence that neurocognitive deficits, consistent with the distribution and functions of the NMDAR system can persist during recovery from anti-NMDAR encephalitis. This is the first study to provide evidence of performance decrements on measures of social cognition, including some involving theory of mind. (JINS, 2016, 22, 828–838)

scholarly journals Adolescent Social Cognitive Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Guazzelli Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cultural Considerations ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Social Cognitive Processes

During adolescence, our bodies, brains, and behaviors undergo marked developmental changes. Adolescents often become increasingly aware of their social worlds and use this stage of development to develop skills to help them navigate this changing landscape. Up until recently, an overwhelming majority of research on social cognition–specifically on understanding the mental states of others–has focused on childhood. In this chapter, I demonstrate that adolescence is an important developmental period for the refinement and sophistication of social cognitive processes that began developing during childhood. I also discuss the development of more advanced and distinct social cognitive processes. Additionally, I review the available literature on the developmental trajectories of advanced social cognition across adolescence–including individual differences, cultural considerations, and implications for adolescent health and wellbeing. Finally, I describe how future research may begin to address current knowledge gaps on this topic.

scholarly journals The Cerebellum Plays a Role in Cognitive, but Not Affective, Theory of Mind: A Voxel-Based Lesion Mapping Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
pierre-aurélien beuriat ◽  
Shira Cohen-Zimerman ◽  
Gretchen Smith ◽  
Frank Krueger ◽  
Barry Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cerebellar Injury ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping ◽  
Crus I ◽  
Neuropsychological Evidence ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction: Theory of Mind (ToM) is a social-cognitive skill that allows the understanding of the intentions, beliefs, and desires of others. There is a distinction between affective and cognitive ToM, with evidence showing that these processes rely on partially distinct neural networks. The role of the cerebellum in social cognition has only been rarely explored. In this study, we tested whether the cerebellum is necessary for cognitive and affective ToM performance. Material and methods: We investigated adults with traumatic brain injury (n=193) and healthy controls (n=52) using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) and by measuring the impact on functional connectivity. Results: First, we observed that damage to the cerebellum affected Cognitive but not Affective ToM processing. Further, we found a lateralization effect for the role of the cerebellum in cognitive ToM with participants with left cerebellar injury performing worse than those with right cerebellar injury. Both VLSM and standard statistical analysis provided evidence that left cerebellar Crus I and lobule VI contributed to ToM processing. Lastly, we found that disconnection of the left thalamic projection and the left fronto-striatal fasciculus was associated with poor cognitive ToM performance. Conclusions: Our study is the first to reveal direct causal neuropsychological evidence for a role of the cerebellum in cognitive, but not in affective, ToM, processing. It reinforces the idea that social cognition relies on a complex network functionally connected through white matter pathways that include the cerebellum. It supports evidence that the neural networks underpinning cognitive and affective ToM can be differentiated.

scholarly journals Trustworthiness judgments are associated with interpersonal functioning in individuals with schizophrenia

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 204380871982709
Author(s):  
Michal Hajdúk ◽  
Dana Krajčovičová ◽  
Miroslava Zimányiová ◽  
Viera Kořínková ◽  
Anton Heretik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Interpersonal Functioning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Rapid and accurate trustworthiness judgments are important during successful day-to-day social interactions because they can influence the decision whether to approach someone and initiate social interaction. The aim of the present study was to analyze associations between these judgments and self-reported and clinician-rated social functioning. The sample consisted of 48 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 35 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and educational level. A trustworthiness task, subjective, and clinician-rated scales for social functioning were administered to both samples. Trustworthiness judgments did not differ between patients and healthy controls. Both groups were able to discriminate between trustworthy and untrustworthy faces. Trustworthiness ratings were associated with self-reported and clinician-rated measures of interpersonal functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Despite the absence of differences between groups, in patients with schizophrenia, a tendency to mistrust based on facial appearance was related to worse functional outcome, predominantly in the domain of disturbed interpersonal functioning. This study highlights the importance of future research into social–cognitive biases in schizophrenia.

Family Perspectives on Social-Cognitive Impairment in Verbal Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-452
Author(s):  
Kristen T. MacKenzie ◽  
Carla A. Mazefsky ◽  
Nancy J. Minshew ◽  
Shaun M. Eack
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Ability ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Family Perspectives ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Caregiver Report

Social-cognitive challenges in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often assessed using caregiver report or performance-based instruments. This study compared caregiver report and performance-based measures of social cognition to examine convergence. A total of 128 verbal individuals with ASD were administered performance-based tests of social cognition assessing theory of mind, and one family member completed a measure of social cognition. Caregiver reports of social cognition were weakly and not significantly correlated with performance-based test scores. Caregiver- and performance-based measures converged for children compared with adults and for participants with lower intellectual ability. More research is needed to develop social-cognitive measures that incorporate caregiver perspectives and are robust across individuals with ASD of all ages and levels of intellectual functioning.

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