Social Cognition in Frontotemporal Dementia

ALLEGRI RF, BUTMAN J, SERRANO C, ABEL C, ARIZAGA RL, RANALLI CG, TARAGANO FE.

San Diego

Congreso; Meeting American Academy of Neurology 2006; 2006

American Academy of Neurology

Introduction Social Cognition refers to the higher cognitive processes sub serving the extremely diverse and flexible social behaviors that are seen in human being. Several brain structures that play a key role in guiding social behaviors like frontal and temporal cortices are involved in Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Current debates concern the relative contributions made by the executive functions and the social cognition to understand the early behavioral problems in FTD.  Methods: Theory of Mind tests of increasing complexity (First and second-order false belief tasks, faux pas task and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task), decision making test (gambling task), executive tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail making test and Verbal fluency) and general neuropsychological battery and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were given to 20 patients with FTD and 15 matched controls. Results:  FTD patients were significantly impaired in Executive Tests, Theory of Mind, and Decision Making, but they were independent between them. ToM performance did not correlate with executive function. Conclusions: Social cognition is impaired in FTD. The absence of a relationship between executive function and ToM performance could point to a modular working of these functions as suggested by prior clinical studies.  When the early diagnosis is considered, the clinician must consider this approach to FTD.