title: Theory of mind and empathy in patients at an early stage of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early after having been diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), young patients coping with the new situation require good social support and interactions. Successful social interaction is critically dependent upon the ability to understand the minds of others and their feelings. Social cognition refers to the ability to understand the mind of others. Theory of mind (ToM) defines the capability to reason about mental states of others. Empathy describes the ability to have insight into emotional stages and feelings of others. Despite the knowledge of cognitive impairment, which can have profound effects on patients daily activities and quality of life in advanced stages of multiple sclerosis, little is known concerning social cognition in early stages of RRMS.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this analysis, tests assessing executive functions (working memory, set shifting and inhibition) and instruments measuring theory of mind (the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition - MASC) and empathy (Baron-Cohen's Empathy Quotient) were administered to 25 young adult patients at an early stage of RRMS and to 25 healthy controls (HC). Patients and HC were carefully matched according to intellectual level, age, gender, handedness and education. An early stage of the disease was defined as being diagnosed with RRMS in the last 2 years and having an EDSS of 2 or lower.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients had significantly more incorrect responses ("missing") ToM (P<0.04). Moreover, patients showed a significantly lower level of empathy in the self-rating questionnaire (P<0.02). Of the cognitive tests and depression, ToM and Empathy Quotient (EQ) scores were only significantly correlated with the interference score of the stroop test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that theory of mind and empathy are deficient even at early stages of RRMS. Deficits in theory of mind and empathy might negatively influence interpersonal relationships in patients with RRMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Hospital, Alfried-Krupp-Strasse 21, 45117 Essen, Germany. markus.kraemer@krupp-krankenhaus.de
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kraemer
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herold
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uekermann
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kis
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiltfang
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Daum
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dziobek
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berlit
authors.forename: Rolf R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Diehl
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdel-Hamid
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012931:Social Environment; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*