Social Cognition in Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Pediatric Age

Authors

  • Francesca Felicia Operto Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
  • Grazia Maria Giovanna Pastorino Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
  • Chiara Padovano Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
  • Chiara Scuoppo Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
  • Valentina Vivenzio Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
  • Giangennaro Coppola Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.3Sup1/124

Keywords:

social-cognition, epilepsy, specific learning disorder, executive functions

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess social cognition in adolescents and children with epilepsy or Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) compared to typical individuals. It was verified whether the age of onset, duration and drug therapy of epileptics can influence this ability and if there is a correlation between Social Cognition, intelligence and executive functions.

Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study that included a total of 125 subjects between 7 and 16 years (62 with focal epilepsy and 63 with SLD). The control group included 32 healthy subjects. Study subjects were evaluated with neuropsychological tools to evaluate executive functions (EpiTrack Junior), Social Cognition (NEPSY-II), and intelligence; a nonverbal cognitive test (Raven's Matrices) was used in subjects with Epilepsy, while WISC-IV was administered to SLDs.

Results: the groups of subjects scored significantly lower than the controls in Social Cognition. The results showed a positive correlation between affect recognition scores and executive function in both groups. In patients with epilepsy the deficit in Affect Recognition appeared to be linked with early age of onset of epilepsy, long term of disease and lack of non-verbal intelligence; a high frequency of seizures, on the other hand, was related to poor performance in the Theory of Mind (ToM). In the SLD group there was no correlation between social cognition and intellectual level.

Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that individuals with focal epilepsy or SLD have deficits in the recognition of facial emotions and ToM compared to their peers.

In epilepsy group, the Social Cognition deficit seems to be linked to characteristics of epilepsy, particularly the deficits in the recognition of facial emotions seems linked to problems in nonverbal intelligence and in executive function.

In the SLD group, however, the ability to recognize emotions was correlated only with executive functions.

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Published

2020-12-21

How to Cite

Operto, F. F., Pastorino, G. M. G., Padovano, C., Scuoppo, C., Vivenzio, V., & Coppola, G. (2020). Social Cognition in Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Pediatric Age . BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 11(3Sup1), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.3Sup1/124

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