Social Cognition in patients with epilepsy after anterior temporal lobe resections.

ALLEGRI RF, BUTMAN J, THOMSON A, ABEL C, SERRANO CM, ARIZAGA RL.

San Diego

Congreso; Meeting American Academy of Neurology 2006; 2006

American Academy of Neurology

Introduction Social cognition is crucial for human interaction. It has been proposed that behavioral impairment in some patients with anterior temporal lobectomy might be related to an inability in social cognition. The objective of this study is to evaluate social cognition (theory of mind and cognitive flexibility) in epileptic patients who undergo anterior temporal lobectomy with amygdala resection. Material and Methods: Ten epileptic patients who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy (6 left temporal lobectomy and 4 right temporal lobectomy) were matched for age and education with 10 healthy controls. Subjects were tested with an extensive neuropsychological battery and a neuropsychiatric evaluation. To assess social cognition were used 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, reversal learning task), and executive tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail making test and Verbal fluency). Results: We found Beck depression Inventory 8±1.5; PANSS (positive) 10 ±1.3; PANSS (negative) 14±2.2; PANSS total 28.3±2; verbal IQ 104.2±7, nonverbal IQ 97.2±6, Full scale IQ 101.4±6.3. Categories achieved on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test 5.7±0.16. Epileptic patients were significantly impaired in Executive Tests, Theory of Mind, and Decision Making. ToM performance correlate with PANSS negative. Conclusions: Patients with epilepsy who undergo anterior temporal lobectomy appear to have post operative difficulties in social cognition. Their lack of cognitive flexibility can be responsible of behavioral changes and cannot be explained by psychiatric comorbidity, low IQs or a dysexecutive syndrome.