ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM) had been suggested as a possible endophenotype for unaffected relatives of first episode of psychosis (FEP) patients. There are a limited number of studies which have evaluated ToM deficits among the siblings and parents of FEP patients. AIM: This study aimed to explore ToM deficits and its correlates among FEP patients, their siblings, parents, and controls. METHODOLOGY: FEP patients (N=102), their parents (N=135), siblings (N=97), and controls (N=167) were evaluated on ToM performance with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (Eyes Test). Interview for sociodemographic variables of age, sex, years of education, and IQ estimation and neurocognitive tests were administered to all groups. RESULTS: FEP patients had a significantly lower performance on the Eyes Test compared to their siblings and controls. However, no significant differences were found between siblings and parents or siblings and controls. CONCLUSION: Attending our results, we found no evidence for ToM deficits as an endophenotype of SSDs. Furthermore, ToM accuracy may be mediated by interaction with other cognitive domains and play a protective role against psychosis in unaffected siblings.
ABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.778093.].
ABSTRACT
Background: Neurodegenerative diseases might affect social cognition in various ways depending on their components (theory of mind, emotional processing, attribution bias, and social perception) and the subtype of dementia they cause. This review aims to explore this difference in cognitive function among individuals with different aetiologies of dementia. Methods: The following databases were explored: MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Library, Lilacs, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. We selected studies examining social cognition in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases in which dementia was the primary symptom that was studied. The neurodegenerative diseases included Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. The search yielded 2,803 articles. Results: One hundred twenty-two articles were included in the present review. The summarised results indicate that people with neurodegenerative diseases indeed have deficits in social cognitive performance. Both in populations with Alzheimer's disease and in populations with frontotemporal dementia, we found that emotional processing was strongly affected. However, although theory of mind impairment could also be observed in the initial stages of frontotemporal dementia, in Alzheimer's disease it was only appreciated when performing highly complex task or in advanced stages of the disease. Conclusions: Each type of dementia has a differential profile of social cognition deterioration. This review could provide a useful reference for clinicians to improve detection and diagnosis, which would undoubtedly guarantee better interventions. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020152562, PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42020152562.