Social cognition in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.
Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) is a common genetic generalized epilepsy syndrome. Several studies have detailed cognitive and imaging abnormalities pointing to frontal lobe dysfunction, as well as disadvantageous behavioral traits and poor social outcome, challenging the commonly held view of JME being a benign disorder. Social cognition is the ability to elaborate mental representations of social interactions and to use them correctly in social contexts, and includes Theory of Mind (ToM), which pertains to the attribution of cognitive and affective mental states to self and others and seems to rely on complex fronto-temporal interactions. ToM has been recently assessed in focal epilepsy syndromes, but little is available for generalized epilepsies. We performed a cross-sectional study to assess social cognition, with an emphasis on ToM, as well as standard cognitive functions in patients with JME.



We recruited twenty JME patients and twenty matched controls. Tests used to assess social cognition and ToM included the Emotion Attribution Task, Strange Stories Task (SST), Faux Pas Task (FPT), Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task and Social Situation Task. Subjects were also assessed via an extensive neuropsychological battery.



Patients exhibited worse performance in the SST and in several scores of the FPT. They also showed widespread cognitive impairment, involving executive functions, psychomotor speed, verbal and visuo-spatial memory.



In addition to cognitive impairment for fronto-temporal tasks, some features of social cognition are also altered in JME. The latter deficit may underlie the poor social outcome previously described for these patients, and might also relate to imaging findings of frontal lobe dysfunction.
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: giorgifs@gmail.com.
Filippo S
FS
Giorgi
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Melania
M
Guida
Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Lorenzo
L
Caciagli
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Cristina
C
Pagni
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Chiara
C
Pizzanelli
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Enrica
E
Bonanni
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Gloria
G
Tognoni
Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and University Hospital, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Ubaldo
U
Bonuccelli
D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020190:Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012938:Social Perception; D056345:Theory of Mind
D000927:Anticonvulsants
Executive functions; Genetic Generalized Epilepsy; Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy; Psychosocial outcome; Social cognition; Theory of mind