Impairment of social cognition in neurological diseases

Abstract

Social cognition is impaired in a large number of neurological afflictions, including neurodegenerative diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental syndromes, and has become a significant element in differential diagnoses. This report describes the different processes involved in social cognition and the way in which they work together to allow adapted behaviors. This is then followed by the numerous clinical symptoms of social behavioral disturbances and social cognition performance in different neurological afflictions such as frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. In addition, the available tasks allowing social cognition assessment in routine clinical practice are also presented.

Keywords: Behavioral disturbances; Dementia; Empathy; Frontotemporal lobar degeneration; Social cognition; Theory of mind.