Social Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis: a Meta-Analysis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with cognitive decline and impairment in social functioning. Accumulating evidence suggests that patients with MS are impaired in social cognition, including theory of mind (ToM) and emotion recognition. In this meta-analysis of 24 studies, facial emotion recognition and ToM performances of 989 patients with MS and 836 healthy controls were compared. MS was associated with significant impairments with medium effect sizes in ToM (d = 0.57) and facial emotion recognition (d = 0.61). Among individual emotions recognition of fear and anger were particularly impaired. The severity of social cognitive deficits was significantly associated with non-social cognitive impairment. These deficits in social cognition may underpin difficulties in social functioning in MS. However, there is a need for further studies investigating the longitudinal evolution of social cognitive deficits and their neural correlates in MS.
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Alan Gilbert Building NNF level 3, Carlton South, VIC, 3053, Australia. emrebora@hotmail.com.|, 6328 Sok no:38/2, Yali Mahallesi, Karsiyaka, 35550, İzmir, Turkey. emrebora@hotmail.com.
Emre
E
Bora
Department of Neurology, Dokuz Eylul University, Balçova, 35340, İzmir, Turkey.
Serkan
S
Özakbaş
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Alan Gilbert Building NNF level 3, Carlton South, VIC, 3053, Australia.
Dennis
D
Velakoulis
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Alan Gilbert Building NNF level 3, Carlton South, VIC, 3053, Australia.|Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3052, Australia.
Mark
M
Walterfang
D003071:Cognition; D000066499:Facial Recognition; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D056345:Theory of Mind
Cognitive; Emotion recognition; Multiple sclerosis; Social cognition; Theory of mind