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Sadeghi MA, Stevens D, Kundu S, Sanghera R, Dagher R, Yedavalli V, Jones C, Sair H, Luna LP. Detecting Alzheimer's Disease Stages and Frontotemporal Dementia in Time Courses of Resting-State fMRI Data Using a Machine Learning Approach. JOURNAL OF IMAGING INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE 2024:10.1007/s10278-024-01101-1. [PMID: 38780666 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-024-01101-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Early, accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementia subtypes such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is crucial for the effectiveness of their treatments. However, distinguishing these conditions becomes challenging when symptoms overlap or the conditions present atypically. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) studies have demonstrated condition-specific alterations in AD, FTD, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared to healthy controls (HC). Here, we used machine learning to build a diagnostic classification model based on these alterations. We curated all rs-fMRIs and their corresponding clinical information from the ADNI and FTLDNI databases. Imaging data underwent preprocessing, time course extraction, and feature extraction in preparation for the analyses. The imaging features data and clinical variables were fed into gradient-boosted decision trees with fivefold nested cross-validation to build models that classified four groups: AD, FTD, HC, and MCI. The mean and 95% confidence intervals for model performance metrics were calculated using the unseen test sets in the cross-validation rounds. The model built using only imaging features achieved 74.4% mean balanced accuracy, 0.94 mean macro-averaged AUC, and 0.73 mean macro-averaged F1 score. It accurately classified FTD (F1 = 0.99), HC (F1 = 0.99), and MCI (F1 = 0.86) fMRIs but mostly misclassified AD scans as MCI (F1 = 0.08). Adding clinical variables to model inputs raised balanced accuracy to 91.1%, macro-averaged AUC to 0.99, macro-averaged F1 score to 0.92, and improved AD classification accuracy (F1 = 0.74). In conclusion, a multimodal model based on rs-fMRI and clinical data accurately differentiates AD-MCI vs. FTD vs. HC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Amin Sadeghi
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Daniel Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shinjini Kundu
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Rohan Sanghera
- University of Cambridge, School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard Dagher
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Vivek Yedavalli
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Craig Jones
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, The Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haris Sair
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- The Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, The Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Licia P Luna
- Division of Neuroradiology, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B100F, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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Canessa N, Basso G, Manera M, Poggi P, Gianelli C. Functional Coherence in Intrinsic Frontal Executive Networks Predicts Cognitive Impairments in Alcohol Use Disorder. Brain Sci 2022; 13:45. [PMID: 36672027 PMCID: PMC9856140 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence highlights the potential of innovative rehabilitative interventions such as cognitive remediation and neuromodulation, aimed at reducing relapses in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Enhancing their effectiveness requires a thorough description of the neural correlates of cognitive alterations in AUD. Past related attempts, however, were limited by the focus on selected neuro-cognitive variables. We aimed to fill this gap by combining, in 22 AUD patients and 18 controls, an extensive neuro-cognitive evaluation and metrics of intrinsic connectivity as highlighted by resting-state brain activity. We addressed an inherent property of intrinsic activity such as intra-network coherence, the temporal correlation of the slow synchronous fluctuations within resting-state networks, representing an early biomarker of alterations in the functional brain architecture underlying cognitive functioning. AUD patients displayed executive impairments involving working-memory, attention and visuomotor speed, reflecting abnormal coherence of activity and grey matter atrophy within default mode, in addition to the attentional and the executive networks. The stronger relationship between fronto-lateral coherent activity and executive performance in patients than controls highlighted possible compensatory mechanisms counterbalancing the decreased functionality of networks driving the switch from automatic to controlled behavior. These results provide novel insights into AUD patients' cognitive impairments, their neural bases, and possible targets of rehabilitative interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Canessa
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Gianpaolo Basso
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Marina Manera
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Clinical Psychology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Poggi
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Radiology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Claudia Gianelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
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Ferreira LK, Lindberg O, Santillo AF, Wahlund LO. Functional connectivity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2790. [PMID: 36306386 PMCID: PMC9759144 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Functional connectivity (FC)-which reflects relationships between neural activity in different brain regions-has been used to explore the functional architecture of the brain in neurodegenerative disorders. Although an increasing number of studies have explored FC changes in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), there is no focused, in-depth review about FC in bvFTD. METHODS Comprehensive literature search and narrative review to summarize the current field of FC in bvFTD. RESULTS (1) Decreased FC within the salience network (SN) is the most consistent finding in bvFTD; (2) FC changes extend beyond the SN and affect the interplay between networks; (3) results within the Default Mode Network are mixed; (4) the brain as a network is less interconnected and less efficient in bvFTD; (5) symptoms, functional impairment, and cognition are associated with FC; and (6) the functional architecture resembles patterns of neuropathological spread. CONCLUSIONS FC has potential as a biomarker, and future studies are expected to advance the field with multicentric initiatives, longitudinal designs, and methodological advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Kobuti Ferreira
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olof Lindberg
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexander F Santillo
- Clinical Memory Research Unit and Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Lars-Olof Wahlund
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is associated with social and criminal transgressions; studies from countries around the world have documented such behavior in persons with this condition. An overview and analysis of social and criminal transgressions in bvFTD and their potential neurobiological mechanisms can provide a window for understanding the relationship of antisocial behavior and the brain. METHODS This review evaluated the literature on the frequency of social and criminal transgressions in bvFTD and the neurobiological disturbances that underlie them. RESULTS There is a high frequency of transgressions among patients with bvFTD due to impairments in neurocognition, such as social perception, behavioral regulation, and theory of mind, and impairments in social emotions, such as self-conscious emotions and empathy. Additionally, there is significant evidence for a specific impairment in an innate sense of morality. Alterations in these neurobiological processes result from predominantly right-hemisphere pathology in frontal (ventromedial, orbitofrontal, inferolateral frontal), anterior temporal (amygdala, temporal pole), limbic (anterior cingulate, amygdala), and insular regions. CONCLUSIONS Overlapping disturbances in neurocognition, social emotions, and moral reasoning result from disease in the mostly mesial and right-sided frontotemporal network necessary for responding emotionally to others and for behavioral control. With increased sophistication in neurobiological interventions, future goals may be the routine evaluation of these processes among individuals with bvFTD who engage in social and criminal transgressions and the targeting of these neurobiological mechanisms with behavioral, pharmacological, and other interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Mendez
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; and Neurology Service, Neurobehavior Unit, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
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Jiang WH, Chen HH, Chen W, Wu Q, Chen L, Zhou J, Xu XQ, Hu H, Wu FY. Altered Long- and Short-Range Functional Connectivity Density in Patients With Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy: A Resting-State fMRI Study. Front Neurol 2022; 13:902912. [PMID: 35812093 PMCID: PMC9259934 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.902912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Purpose Although previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated emotion- and psychology-associated brain abnormalities in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), the changes of brain functional connectivity in TAO were seldom focused. We aimed to investigate interregional and intraregional functional interactions in patients with TAO by using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) with long- and short-range functional connectivity density (FCD) analysis. Methods Thirty patients with TAO and 30 well-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in our study. Long- and short-range FCD values were calculated and compared between the two groups. Correlations between long- and short-range FCD values and clinical indicators were analyzed. Results Compared with HCs, patients with showed both increased long- and short-range FCDs in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), orbital part of superior frontal gyrus (ORBsup), and dorsolateral part of superior frontal gyrus (SFGdor); meanwhile, both decreased long- and short-range FCDs in bilateral postcentral gyrus (PoCG), left superior parietal gyrus (SPG), and inferior parietal (IPL). In addition, patients with TAO showed increased short-range FCD in the right SFGdor, bilateral medial part of superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed), left orbital part of middle frontal gyrus (ORBmid), and orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf), as well as decreased short-range FCD in the right supplementary motor area (SMA) and the left paracentral lobule (PCL) than HCs. Moreover, the short-range value in the left SFGdor showed a negative correlation with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score (r = −0.501, p = 0.005). Conclusion Our findings complemented the functional neural mechanism of TAO, and provided potential neuroimaging markers for assessing the psychiatric, visual, and emotional disturbances in patients with TAO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hao Jiang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Huan-Huan Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wen Chen
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qian Wu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiang Zhou
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao-Quan Xu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Hu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Hao Hu
| | - Fei-Yun Wu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Fei-Yun Wu
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Canessa N, Basso G, Poggi P, Gianelli C. Altered striatal-opercular intrinsic connectivity reflects decreased aversion to losses in alcohol use disorder. Neuropsychologia 2022; 172:108258. [PMID: 35561813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The persistence of addictive behaviours despite their adverse consequences highlights decreased punishment sensitivity as a facet of decision-making impairments in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). This attitude departs from the typical loss aversion (LA) pattern, i.e. the stronger sensitivity to negative than positive outcomes, previously associated with striatal and limbic-somatosensory responsiveness in healthy individuals. Consistent evidence highlights decreased LA as a marker of disease severity in AUD, but its neural bases remain largely unexplored. AUD-specific modulations of frontolateral activity by LA were previously related to the higher executive demands of anticipating losses than gains, but the relationship between LA and executive/working-memory performance in AUD is debated. Building on previous evidence of overlapping neural bases of LA during decision-making and at rest, we investigated a possible neural signature of altered LA in AUDs, and its connections with executive skills, in terms of complementary facets of resting-state functioning. In patients, smaller LA than controls, unrelated to executive performance, reflected reduced connectivity within striatal and medial temporal networks, and altered connectivity from these regions to the insular-opercular cortex. AUD-specific loss-related modulations of intrinsic connectivity thus involved structures previously associated both with drug-seeking and with coding the trade-off between appetitive and aversive motivational drives. These findings fit the hypothesis that altered striatal coding of choice-related incentive value, and interoceptive responsiveness to prospective outcomes, enhance neural sensitivity to drug-related stimuli in addictions. LA and its neural bases might prove useful markers of AUD severity and effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies targeting the salience of negative choice outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Canessa
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, 27100, Italy; IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, 27100, Italy.
| | | | - Paolo Poggi
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Radiology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100, Italy
| | - Claudia Gianelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, 27100, Italy; University of Messina, Messina, 98122, Italy
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Mendez MF. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA FOR BRAIN DYSFUNCTION IN PSYCHOPATHY. Biol Psychol 2022; 171:108342. [PMID: 35487297 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how psychopathy compares with brain disease can help clarify its underlying mechanisms. This literature review is a broad overview of the neurobiology of psychopathic traits in comparison to behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a disorder uniquely associated with criminal behavior. In addition to violation of social norms, both psychopathy and bvFTD result in impaired socioemotional perception and empathy, impulsivity, and altered moral judgment. Despite wide areas of decreased function in psychopathy, structural changes are primarily evident in amygdala and, to a lesser extent, anterior insula, whereas in bvFTD neuropathology involves a wider paralimbic region. In psychopathy, relatively intact medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices facilitate theory of mind and psychopathic traits such as deceitfulness and manipulation, bold fearlessness, and risk-taking behavior. In conclusion, many frontotemporal areas are hypoactive in psychopathy and bvFTD, but differences in dysfunctional connectivity in psychopathy vs. direct involvement in bvFTD potentially explain similarities and differences between these two conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Mendez
- Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Neurology Service, Neurobehavior Unit, V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
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8
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Strikwerda-Brown C, Ahmed RM, Piguet O, Irish M. Try to see it my way - Examining the relationship between visual perspective taking and theory of mind in frontotemporal dementia. Brain Cogn 2022; 157:105835. [PMID: 35007869 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is characterised by pronounced alterations in social functioning, including the understanding of others' thoughts and feelings via theory of mind. The emergence of such impairments in other social disorders such as autism and schizophrenia is suggested to reflect an inability to imagine the other person's visual perspective of the world. To our knowledge, relationships between visual perspective taking and theory of mind have not previously been explored in bvFTD. Here, we sought to examine the capacity for visual perspective taking and theory of mind in bvFTD, and to establish their inter-relationships and underlying neural correlates. Fifteen bvFTD patients and 15 healthy Controls completed a comprehensive battery of perspective taking measures, comprising Level 1 ('what') and Level 2 ('how') visual perspective taking tasks, a cartoon task capturing theory of mind, and a questionnaire assessing subjective perspective taking in daily life. Compared with Controls, bvFTD patients displayed significant impairments across all perspective taking measures. These perspective taking impairments, however, were not correlated with one another in bvFTD. Region-of-interest voxel-based morphometry analyses suggested distinct neural correlates for visual perspective taking (inferior frontal gyrus) versus theory of mind (medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus), which appeared to partially overlap with those implicated in subjective perspective taking (inferior frontal gyrus, precuneus, temporoparietal junction). Despite pervasive impairments in all aspects of perspective taking in bvFTD, these did not appear to relate to one another at the behavioural or neural level in our study. Future large-scale studies manipulating discrete aspects of the tasks will help to clarify the neurocognitive mechanisms of, and relationships between, visual perspective taking and theory of mind in bvFTD, along with their real-world implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Australia; The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Australia
| | - Rebekah M Ahmed
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Australia; The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, Australia
| | - Olivier Piguet
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Australia; The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Australia
| | - Muireann Irish
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Australia; The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Australia.
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Boccardi M, Monsch AU, Ferrari C, Altomare D, Berres M, Bos I, Buchmann A, Cerami C, Didic M, Festari C, Nicolosi V, Sacco L, Aerts L, Albanese E, Annoni JM, Ballhausen N, Chicherio C, Démonet JF, Descloux V, Diener S, Ferreira D, Georges J, Gietl A, Girtler N, Kilimann I, Klöppel S, Kustyniuk N, Mecocci P, Mella N, Pigliautile M, Seeher K, Shirk SD, Toraldo A, Brioschi-Guevara A, Chan KCG, Crane PK, Dodich A, Grazia A, Kochan NA, de Oliveira FF, Nobili F, Kukull W, Peters O, Ramakers I, Sachdev PS, Teipel S, Visser PJ, Wagner M, Weintraub S, Westman E, Froelich L, Brodaty H, Dubois B, Cappa SF, Salmon D, Winblad B, Frisoni GB, Kliegel M. Harmonizing neuropsychological assessment for mild neurocognitive disorders in Europe. Alzheimers Dement 2022; 18:29-42. [PMID: 33984176 PMCID: PMC9642857 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Harmonized neuropsychological assessment for neurocognitive disorders, an international priority for valid and reliable diagnostic procedures, has been achieved only in specific countries or research contexts. METHODS To harmonize the assessment of mild cognitive impairment in Europe, a workshop (Geneva, May 2018) convened stakeholders, methodologists, academic, and non-academic clinicians and experts from European, US, and Australian harmonization initiatives. RESULTS With formal presentations and thematic working-groups we defined a standard battery consistent with the U.S. Uniform DataSet, version 3, and homogeneous methodology to obtain consistent normative data across tests and languages. Adaptations consist of including two tests specific to typical Alzheimer's disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. The methodology for harmonized normative data includes consensus definition of cognitively normal controls, classification of confounding factors (age, sex, and education), and calculation of minimum sample sizes. DISCUSSION This expert consensus allows harmonizing the diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders across European countries and possibly beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Boccardi
- DZNE - Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Rostock-Greifswald site, Rostock, Germany
- LANVIE - Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andreas U Monsch
- Memory Clinic, University Department of Geriatric Medicine FELIX PLATTER, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Clarissa Ferrari
- Unit of Statistics, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Daniele Altomare
- LANVIE - Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Berres
- Department of Mathematics and Technology, University of Applied Sciences Koblenz, Koblenz, Germany
| | - Isabelle Bos
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Buchmann
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Cerami
- Institute for Advanced Studies (IUSS-Pavia), Pavia, Italy, Pavia, Italy
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mira Didic
- APHM, Timone, Service de Neurologie et Neuropsychologie, Hôpital Timone Adultes, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, INS, UMR_S 1106, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Cristina Festari
- Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Valentina Nicolosi
- Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Leonardo Sacco
- Clinic of Neurology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Liesbeth Aerts
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Jean-Marie Annoni
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Sciences, University of Geneva and Fribourg Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Ballhausen
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jean-François Démonet
- Leenaards Memory Centre-CHUV, Clinical Neuroscience Department, Cité Hospitalière CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Virginie Descloux
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Sciences, University of Geneva and Fribourg Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Suzie Diener
- Department of Neurology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Ferreira
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Anton Gietl
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Girtler
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Dept of Neuroscience (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Ingo Kilimann
- DZNE - Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Rostock-Greifswald site, Rostock, Germany
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Kustyniuk
- Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Patrizia Mecocci
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Nathalie Mella
- Cognitive Aging Lab, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Martina Pigliautile
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Katrin Seeher
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Steven D Shirk
- VISN 1 New England MIRECC and VISN 1 New England GRECC, Bedford VA Healthcare System, Bedford, Department of Psychiatry and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alessio Toraldo
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Brioschi-Guevara
- Leenaards Memory Centre-CHUV, Clinical Neuroscience Department, Cité Hospitalière CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kwun C G Chan
- National Alzheimer's Coordination Center (NACC), Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Paul K Crane
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Alessandra Dodich
- Neuroimaging and Innovative Molecular Tracers Laboratory, and Division of Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic Departement, University of Geneva, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Alice Grazia
- DZNE - Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Rostock-Greifswald site, Rostock, Germany
| | - Nicole A Kochan
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Flavio Nobili
- Neurology Clinic, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Dept of Neuroscience (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Walter Kukull
- National Alzheimer's Coordination Center (NACC), Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Oliver Peters
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, ZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Berlin, Germany
| | - Inez Ramakers
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Perminder S Sachdev
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stefan Teipel
- DZNE - Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Rostock-Greifswald site, Rostock, Germany
| | - Pieter Jelle Visser
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Wagner
- DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Eric Westman
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lutz Froelich
- University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Henry Brodaty
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Bruno Dubois
- Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Alzheimer Research Institute (IM2A), and Institut du cerveau et la moelle (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- Institute for Advanced Studies (IUSS-Pavia), Pavia, Italy, Pavia, Italy
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - David Salmon
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, USA
| | - Bengt Winblad
- Dept NVS, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Giovanni B Frisoni
- LANVIE - Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Kliegel
- Cognitive Aging Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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10
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Van den Stock J. Social cognition assessment for mild neurocognitive disorders. Alzheimers Dement 2021; 18:1439-1440. [PMID: 34854534 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Van den Stock
- KU Leuven, Leuven Brain Institute, Neuropsychiatry & Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Centre KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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11
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Magno MA, Canu E, Filippi M, Agosta F. Social cognition in the FTLD spectrum: evidence from MRI. J Neurol 2021; 269:2245-2258. [PMID: 34797434 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10892-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Over the past few years, there has been great interest in social cognition, a wide term referring to the human ability of understanding others' emotions, thoughts, and intentions, to empathize with them and to behave accordingly. While there is no agreement on the classification of social cognitive processes, they can broadly be categorized as consisting of theory of mind, empathy, social perception, and social behavior. The study of social cognition and its relative deficits is increasingly assuming clinical relevance. However, the clinical and neuroanatomical correlates of social cognitive alterations in neurodegenerative conditions, such as those belonging to the frontotemporal lobar (FTLD) spectrum, are not fully established. In this review, we describe the current understanding of social cognition impairments in different FTLD conditions with respect to MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Antonietta Magno
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Canu
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy. .,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. .,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
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12
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Increased decision latency in alcohol use disorder reflects altered resting-state synchrony in the anterior salience network. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19581. [PMID: 34599268 PMCID: PMC8486863 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99211-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased decision latency in alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been generally explained in terms of psychomotor slowing. Recent results suggest that AUD patients' slowed decision-making might rather reflect alterations in the neural circuitry underlying the engagement of controlled processing by salient stimuli. We addressed this hypothesis by testing a relationship between decision latency at the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) and intrinsic brain activity in 22 individuals with AUD and 19 matched controls. CGT deliberation time was related to two complementary facets of resting-state fMRI activity, i.e. coherence and intensity, representing early biomarkers of functional changes in the intrinsic brain architecture. For both metrics, we assessed a multiple regression (to test a relationship with deliberation time in the whole sample), and an interaction analysis (to test a significantly different relationship with decision latency across groups). AUD patients' slowed deliberation time (p < 0.025) reflected distinct facets of altered intrinsic activity in the cingulate node of the anterior salience network previously associated with the "output" motor stage of response selection. Its heightened activity in AUD patients compared with controls, tracking choice latency (p < 0.025 corrected), might represent a compensation mechanism counterbalancing the concurrent decrease of its internal coherent activity (p < 0.025 corrected). These findings provide novel insights into the intrinsic neural mechanisms underlying increased decision latency in AUD, involving decreased temporal synchronicity in networks promoting executive control by behaviourally relevant stimuli. These results pave the way to further studies assessing more subtle facets of decision-making in AUD, and their possible changes with rehabilitative treatment.
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13
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Sivasathiaseelan H, Marshall CR, Benhamou E, van Leeuwen JEP, Bond RL, Russell LL, Greaves C, Moore KM, Hardy CJD, Frost C, Rohrer JD, Scott SK, Warren JD. Laughter as a paradigm of socio-emotional signal processing in dementia. Cortex 2021; 142:186-203. [PMID: 34273798 PMCID: PMC8438290 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Laughter is a fundamental communicative signal in our relations with other people and is used to convey a diverse repertoire of social and emotional information. It is therefore potentially a useful probe of impaired socio-emotional signal processing in neurodegenerative diseases. Here we investigated the cognitive and affective processing of laughter in forty-seven patients representing all major syndromes of frontotemporal dementia, a disease spectrum characterised by severe socio-emotional dysfunction (twenty-two with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, twelve with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia, thirteen with nonfluent-agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia), in relation to fifteen patients with typical amnestic Alzheimer's disease and twenty healthy age-matched individuals. We assessed cognitive labelling (identification) and valence rating (affective evaluation) of samples of spontaneous (mirthful and hostile) and volitional (posed) laughter versus two auditory control conditions (a synthetic laughter-like stimulus and spoken numbers). Neuroanatomical associations of laughter processing were assessed using voxel-based morphometry of patients' brain MR images. While all dementia syndromes were associated with impaired identification of laughter subtypes relative to healthy controls, this was significantly more severe overall in frontotemporal dementia than in Alzheimer's disease and particularly in the behavioural and semantic variants, which also showed abnormal affective evaluation of laughter. Over the patient cohort, laughter identification accuracy was correlated with measures of daily-life socio-emotional functioning. Certain striking syndromic signatures emerged, including enhanced liking for hostile laughter in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, impaired processing of synthetic laughter in the nonfluent-agrammatic variant (consistent with a generic complex auditory perceptual deficit) and enhanced liking for numbers ('numerophilia') in the semantic variant. Across the patient cohort, overall laughter identification accuracy correlated with regional grey matter in a core network encompassing inferior frontal and cingulo-insular cortices; and more specific correlates of laughter identification accuracy were delineated in cortical regions mediating affective disambiguation (identification of hostile and posed laughter in orbitofrontal cortex) and authenticity (social intent) decoding (identification of mirthful and posed laughter in anteromedial prefrontal cortex) (all p < .05 after correction for multiple voxel-wise comparisons over the whole brain). These findings reveal a rich diversity of cognitive and affective laughter phenotypes in canonical dementia syndromes and suggest that laughter is an informative probe of neural mechanisms underpinning socio-emotional dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harri Sivasathiaseelan
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Janneke E P van Leeuwen
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Greaves
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katrina M Moore
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Frost
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Medical Statistics, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie K Scott
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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14
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Yang WFZ, Toller G, Shdo S, Kotz SA, Brown J, Seeley WW, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Rankin KP. Resting functional connectivity in the semantic appraisal network predicts accuracy of emotion identification. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 31:102755. [PMID: 34274726 PMCID: PMC8319356 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Structural and task-based functional studies associate emotion reading with frontotemporal brain networks, though it remains unclear whether functional connectivity (FC) alone predicts emotion reading ability. The predominantly frontotemporal salience and semantic appraisal (SAN) networks are selectively impacted in neurodegenerative disease syndromes like behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and semantic-variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA). Accurate emotion identification diminishes in some of these patients, but studies investigating the source of this symptom in patients have predominantly examined structural rather than functional brain changes. Thus, we investigated the impact of altered connectivity on their emotion reading. METHODS One-hundred-eighty-five participants (26 bvFTD, 21 svPPA, 24 non-fluent variant PPA, 24 progressive supranuclear palsy, 49 Alzheimer's disease, 41 neurologically healthy older controls) underwent task-free fMRI, and completed the Emotion Evaluation subtest of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT-EET), watching videos and selecting labels for actors' emotions. RESULTS As expected, patients averaged significantly worse on emotion reading, but with wide inter-individual variability. Across all groups, lower mean FC in the SAN, but not other ICNs, predicted worse TASIT-EET performance. Node-pair analysis revealed that emotion identification was predicted by FC between 1) right anterior temporal lobe (RaTL) and right anterior orbitofrontal (OFC), 2) RaTL and right posterior OFC, and 3) left basolateral amygdala and left posterior OFC. CONCLUSION Emotion reading test performance predicts FC in specific SAN regions mediating socioemotional semantics, personalized evaluations, and salience-driven attention, highlighting the value of emotion testing in clinical and research settings to index neural circuit dysfunction in patients with neurodegeneration and other neurologic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winson F Z Yang
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States; Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Gianina Toller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Suzanne Shdo
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Jesse Brown
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
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15
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Jobson DD, Hase Y, Clarkson AN, Kalaria RN. The role of the medial prefrontal cortex in cognition, ageing and dementia. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab125. [PMID: 34222873 PMCID: PMC8249104 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans require a plethora of higher cognitive skills to perform executive functions, such as reasoning, planning, language and social interactions, which are regulated predominantly by the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex comprises the lateral, medial and orbitofrontal regions. In higher primates, the lateral prefrontal cortex is further separated into the respective dorsal and ventral subregions. However, all these regions have variably been implicated in several fronto-subcortical circuits. Dysfunction of these circuits has been highlighted in vascular and other neurocognitive disorders. Recent advances suggest the medial prefrontal cortex plays an important regulatory role in numerous cognitive functions, including attention, inhibitory control, habit formation and working, spatial or long-term memory. The medial prefrontal cortex appears highly interconnected with subcortical regions (thalamus, amygdala and hippocampus) and exerts top-down executive control over various cognitive domains and stimuli. Much of our knowledge comes from rodent models using precise lesions and electrophysiology readouts from specific medial prefrontal cortex locations. Although, anatomical disparities of the rodent medial prefrontal cortex compared to the primate homologue are apparent, current rodent models have effectively implicated the medial prefrontal cortex as a neural substrate of cognitive decline within ageing and dementia. Human brain connectivity-based neuroimaging has demonstrated that large-scale medial prefrontal cortex networks, such as the default mode network, are equally important for cognition. However, there is little consensus on how medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity specifically changes during brain pathological states. In context with previous work in rodents and non-human primates, we attempt to convey a consensus on the current understanding of the role of predominantly the medial prefrontal cortex and its functional connectivity measured by resting-state functional MRI in ageing associated disorders, including prodromal dementia states, Alzheimer's disease, post-ischaemic stroke, Parkinsonism and frontotemporal dementia. Previous cross-sectional studies suggest that medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity abnormalities are consistently found in the default mode network across both ageing and neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment. Distinct disease-specific patterns of medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity alterations within specific large-scale networks appear to consistently feature in the default mode network, whilst detrimental connectivity alterations are associated with cognitive impairments independently from structural pathological aberrations, such as grey matter atrophy. These disease-specific patterns of medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity also precede structural pathological changes and may be driven by ageing-related vascular mechanisms. The default mode network supports utility as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for dementia-associated conditions. Yet, these associations still require validation in longitudinal studies using larger sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan D Jobson
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute,
Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing & Vitality,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL, UK
| | - Yoshiki Hase
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute,
Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing & Vitality,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL, UK
| | - Andrew N Clarkson
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre
and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054,
New Zealand
| | - Rajesh N Kalaria
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute,
Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing & Vitality,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL, UK
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16
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Mariano LI, Caramelli P, Guimarães HC, Gambogi LB, Moura MVB, Yassuda MS, Teixeira AL, de Souza LC. Can Social Cognition Measurements Differentiate Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia from Alzheimer's Disease Regardless of Apathy? J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 74:817-827. [PMID: 32116247 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) share cognitive and behavioral symptoms, such as apathy. Social cognition measurements are useful in distinguishing bvFTD from AD, but their accuracies may be affected by apathy. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether social cognition measurements can distinguish bvFTD from either apathetic or non-apathetic AD patients. METHODS Three groups of participants were enrolled in the present study: bvFTD (n = 22), AD (n = 20), and healthy controls (HC, n = 23). The AD group was divided into apathetic (n = 10) and non-apathetic (n = 10). All subjects underwent comprehensive neuropsychological examination, including the short version of the Social and Emotional Assessment (Mini-SEA), which comprises the facial emotion recognition test and the faux-pas recognition test (Faux-Pas Test). Apathy was assessed according to the Starkstein's Apathy (SA) Scale. RESULTS The bvFTD and AD groups did not differ on global cognitive efficiency and on executive functions. In comparison to the whole AD group, bvFTD displayed lower Faux-Pas Test and Mini-SEA scores. Both AD subgroups, apathetic or non-apathetic, exhibited similar performance on all social cognition measurements. In comparison to either apathetic AD or non-apathetic AD, bvFTD patients underperformed on the Faux-Pas Test and on the Mini-SEA. The area under the curve values for the Mini-SEA total score were 0.87 (bvFTD versus AD), 0.90 (bvFTD versus apathetic AD), and 0.83 (bvFTD versus non-apathetic AD). CONCLUSION Social cognition tests provide accurate distinction between bvFTD against either apathetic AD or non-apathetic AD. Social cognition measurements did not correlate with apathy severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciano Inácio Mariano
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.,Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Paulo Caramelli
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.,Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Henrique Cerqueira Guimarães
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
| | - Leandro Boson Gambogi
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
| | | | - Mônica Sanches Yassuda
- Grupo de Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento (GNCC), Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Cerqueira César, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Gerontologia, Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Antônio Lúcio Teixeira
- Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Santa Casa BH Ensino e Pesquisa, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Cruz de Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.,Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.,Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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17
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Dodich A, Crespi C, Santi GC, Luzzi S, Ranaldi V, Iannaccone S, Marcone A, Zamboni M, Cappa SF, Cerami C. Diagnostic Accuracy of Affective Social Tasks in the Clinical Classification Between the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia and Other Neurodegenerative Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 80:1401-1411. [PMID: 33682708 DOI: 10.3233/jad-201210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe socio-emotional impairments characterize the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, literature reports social cognition disorders in other dementias. OBJECTIVE In this study, we investigated the accuracy of social cognition performances in the early and differential diagnosis of bvFTD. METHODS We included 131 subjects: 32 bvFTD, 26 Alzheimer's disease (AD), 16 primary progressive aphasia (PPA), 17 corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and 40 healthy control (HC). Each subject completed the Ekman 60 faces (Ek-60F) test assessing basic emotion recognition and the Story-based Empathy Task (SET) assessing attribution of intentions/emotions. A combined social measure (i.e., Emotion Recognition and Attribution (ERA) index) was calculated. One-way ANOVA has been used to compare performances among groups, while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve tested measures ability to distinguish subjects with and without bvFTD. RESULTS Ek-60F and ERA index scores were significantly lower in bvFTD versus HC, AD, and PPA groups. ROC analyses significantly distinguished bvFTD from HC (AUC 0.82-0.92), with the Ek-60F test showing the highest performance, followed by the ERA index. These two social measures showed the best accuracy in detecting bvFTD from AD (AUC 0.78-0.74) and PPA (AUC 0.80-0.76). Investigated measures failed in detecting bvFTD from CBS. CONCLUSION Accuracy analyses support the advantage of using social cognition tests for bvFTD diagnosis. Short social battery may reduce uncertainties and improve disease identification in clinical settings. We recommend a revision of current clinical criteria considering neuropsychological deficits in emotion recognition and processing tasks as key cognitive markers of this neurodegenerative syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Dodich
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto (TN), Italy
| | - Chiara Crespi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gaia C Santi
- Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simona Luzzi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Polytechnic University of Marche - Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy
| | - Valentina Ranaldi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Polytechnic University of Marche - Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy
| | - Sandro Iannaccone
- Department of Rehabilitation and Functional Recovery, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Marcone
- Department of Rehabilitation and Functional Recovery, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Zamboni
- Department of Rehabilitation and Functional Recovery, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Dementia Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chiara Cerami
- Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.,Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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18
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Ng ASL, Wang J, Ng KK, Chong JSX, Qian X, Lim JKW, Tan YJ, Yong ACW, Chander RJ, Hameed S, Ting SKS, Kandiah N, Zhou JH. Distinct network topology in Alzheimer's disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2021; 13:13. [PMID: 33407913 PMCID: PMC7786961 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-020-00752-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) cause distinct atrophy and functional disruptions within two major intrinsic brain networks, namely the default network and the salience network, respectively. It remains unclear if inter-network relationships and whole-brain network topology are also altered and underpin cognitive and social–emotional functional deficits. Methods In total, 111 participants (50 AD, 14 bvFTD, and 47 age- and gender-matched healthy controls) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological assessments. Functional connectivity was derived among 144 brain regions of interest. Graph theoretical analysis was applied to characterize network integration, segregation, and module distinctiveness (degree centrality, nodal efficiency, within-module degree, and participation coefficient) in AD, bvFTD, and healthy participants. Group differences in graph theoretical measures and empirically derived network community structures, as well as the associations between these indices and cognitive performance and neuropsychiatric symptoms, were subject to general linear models, with age, gender, education, motion, and scanner type controlled. Results Our results suggested that AD had lower integration in the default and control networks, while bvFTD exhibited disrupted integration in the salience network. Interestingly, AD and bvFTD had the highest and lowest degree of integration in the thalamus, respectively. Such divergence in topological aberration was recapitulated in network segregation and module distinctiveness loss, with AD showing poorer modular structure between the default and control networks, and bvFTD having more fragmented modules in the salience network and subcortical regions. Importantly, aberrations in network topology were related to worse attention deficits and greater severity in neuropsychiatric symptoms across syndromes. Conclusions Our findings underscore the reciprocal relationships between the default, control, and salience networks that may account for the cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline Su Lyn Ng
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Juan Wang
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kwun Kei Ng
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joanna Su Xian Chong
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xing Qian
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joseph Kai Wei Lim
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi Jayne Tan
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alisa Cui Wen Yong
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Russell Jude Chander
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shahul Hameed
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Simon Kang Seng Ting
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nagaendran Kandiah
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Juan Helen Zhou
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore. .,Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. .,Centre for Translational Magnetic Resonance Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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19
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Mendez MF. Degenerative dementias: Alterations of emotions and mood disorders. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 183:261-281. [PMID: 34389121 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-822290-4.00012-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Degenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia result in distinct alterations in emotional processing, emotional experiences, and mood. The neuropathology of these dementias extends to structures involved in emotional processing, including the basolateral limbic network (orbitofrontal cortex, anterior temporal lobe, amygdala, and thalamus), the insula, and ventromedial frontal lobe. Depression is the most common emotion and mood disorder affecting patients with Alzheimer's disease. The onset of depression can be a prodromal sign of this dementia. Anxiety can also be present early in the course of Alzheimer's disease and especially among patients with early-onset forms of the disease. In contrast, patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia demonstrate hypoemotionality, deficits in the recognition of emotion, and decreased psychophysiological reactivity to emotional stimuli. They typically have a disproportionate impairment in emotional and cognitive empathy. One other unique feature of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia is the frequent occurrence of bipolar disorder. The management strategies for these alterations of emotion and mood in degenerative dementias primarily involve the judicious use of the psychiatric armamentarium of medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Mendez
- Behavioral Neurology Program, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Neurology Service, Veteran Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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20
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Smallwood Shoukry RF, Clark MG, Floeter MK. Resting State Functional Connectivity Is Decreased Globally Across the C9orf72 Mutation Spectrum. Front Neurol 2020; 11:598474. [PMID: 33329355 PMCID: PMC7710968 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.598474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A repeat expansion mutation in the C9orf72 gene causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or symptoms of both, and has been associated with gray and white matter changes in brain MRI scans. We used graph theory to examine the network properties of brain function at rest in a population of mixed-phenotype C9orf72 mutation carriers (C9+). Twenty-five C9+ subjects (pre-symptomatic, or diagnosed with ALS, behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD), or both ALS and FTD) and twenty-six healthy controls underwent resting state fMRI. When comparing all C9+ subjects with healthy controls, both global and connection-specific decreases in resting state connectivity were observed, with no substantial reorganization of network hubs. However, when analyzing subgroups of the symptomatic C9+ patients, those with bvFTD (with and without comorbid ALS) show remarkable reorganization of hubs compared to patients with ALS alone (without bvFTD), indicating that subcortical regions become more connected in the network relative to other regions. Additionally, network connectivity measures of the right hippocampus and bilateral thalami increased with increasing scores on the Frontal Behavioral Inventory, indicative of worsening behavioral impairment. These results indicate that while C9orf72 mutation carriers across the ALS-FTD spectrum have global decreased resting state brain connectivity, phenotype-specific effects can also be observed at more local network levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mary Kay Floeter
- Motor Neuron Disease Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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21
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22
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Dodich A, Crespi C, Santi GC, Cappa SF, Cerami C. Evaluation of Discriminative Detection Abilities of Social Cognition Measures for the Diagnosis of the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia: a Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 2020; 31:251-266. [PMID: 33040199 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-020-09457-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The use of social tasks in the neuropsychological assessment of the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is at present not required by diagnostic guidelines, despite extensive literature shows relevant social cognitive dysfunctions in such patients. In this systematic review, we explored the clinical maturity of social cognition measures in the diagnosis of bvFTD. Papers were selected according to the PRISMA guidelines by searching the PubMed and Medline databases. Only papers reporting indices of diagnostic accuracy and/or sensitivity/specificity in classifying bvFTD from controls or from other relevant diseases were considered. Quality of evidence was assessed through QUADAS-2. Among the 663 articles entered in the paper selection only 14 papers were eligible for the scope of the present review and showed an overall moderate-to-low quality. The major risk of bias was the lack of pathological confirmation. The evaluation of the accuracy of social cognition tasks in bvFTD detection compared to normal controls, as well as in the discrimination with Alzheimer's disease and psychiatric patients, is mainly focused on emotion recognition and theory of mind. However, the use of different cognitive measures, variable task formats and the limited normative data hamper study comparability. Although literature seems to suggest that emotion recognition and ToM tasks could be the best choice to ensure a high diagnostic accuracy in clinical settings, further comparative studies are required and no recommendation concerning the use of a specific social task in bvFTD diagnosis can be currently provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Dodich
- CeRiN, Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences-CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Chiara Crespi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gaia C Santi
- Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Dementia Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chiara Cerami
- Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy. .,Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
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23
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Functional Connectivity in Neurodegenerative Disorders: Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia. Top Magn Reson Imaging 2020; 28:317-324. [PMID: 31794504 DOI: 10.1097/rmr.0000000000000223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders are a growing cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Onset is typically insidious and clinical symptoms of behavioral change, memory loss, or cognitive dysfunction may not be evident early in the disease process. Efforts have been made to discover biomarkers that allow for earlier diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders, to initiate treatment that may slow the course of clinical deterioration. Neuronal dysfunction occurs earlier than clinical symptoms manifest. Thus, assessment of neuronal function using functional brain imaging has been examined as a potential biomarker. While most early studies used task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), with the more recent technique of resting-state fMRI, "intrinsic" relationships between brain regions or brain networks have been studied in greater detail in neurodegenerative disorders. In Alzheimer's disease, the most common neurodegenerative disorder, and frontotemporal dementia, another of the common dementias, specific brain networks may be particularly susceptible to dysfunction. In this review, we highlight the major findings of functional connectivity assessed by resting state fMRI in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.
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24
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Multani N, Taghdiri F, Anor CJ, Varriano B, Misquitta K, Tang-Wai DF, Keren R, Fox S, Lang AE, Vijverman AC, Marras C, Tartaglia MC. Association Between Social Cognition Changes and Resting State Functional Connectivity in Frontotemporal Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Healthy Controls. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1259. [PMID: 31824254 PMCID: PMC6883726 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between alterations in resting state functional connectivity and social cognition dysfunction among patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and healthy controls (HC). METHODS Fifty-seven participants (FTD = 10, AD = 18, PD = 19, and HC = 10) underwent structural and functional imaging and completed the Awareness of Social Inference Test-Emotion Evaluation Test (TASIT-EET), Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) scale, Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and Social Norms Questionnaire (SNQ). A multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA) was carried out to determine activation differences between the groups. The clusters from the MVPA were used as seeds for the ROI-to-voxel analysis. Relationship between social cognition deficits and uncinate integrity was also investigated. RESULTS BOLD signal activation differed among the four groups of AD, PD, FTD, and HC in the left inferior temporal gyrus-anterior division [L-ITG (ant)], right central opercular cortex (R-COp), right supramarginal gyrus, posterior division (R-SMG, post), right angular gyrus (R-AG), and R-ITG. The BOLD co-activation of the L-ITG (ant) with bilateral frontal pole (FP) and paracingulate gyrus was positively associated with IRI-perspective taking (PT) (r = 0.38, p = 0.007), SNQ total (r = 0.37, p = 0.009), and TASIT-EET (r = 0.47, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Patients with neurodegenerative diseases showed alterations in connectivity in brain regions important for social cognition compared with HCs. Functional connectivity correlated with performance on social cognition tasks and alterations could be responsible for some of the social cognition deficits observed in all neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namita Multani
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Foad Taghdiri
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Cassandra J. Anor
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Brenda Varriano
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Karen Misquitta
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - David F. Tang-Wai
- Memory Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ron Keren
- Memory Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Susan Fox
- The Edmond J. Safra Program for Parkinson Disease, Movement Disorder Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anthony E. Lang
- The Edmond J. Safra Program for Parkinson Disease, Movement Disorder Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne Catherine Vijverman
- The Edmond J. Safra Program for Parkinson Disease, Movement Disorder Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Connie Marras
- The Edmond J. Safra Program for Parkinson Disease, Movement Disorder Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maria Carmela Tartaglia
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Memory Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
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25
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Strikwerda-Brown C, Ramanan S, Irish M. Neurocognitive mechanisms of theory of mind impairment in neurodegeneration: a transdiagnostic approach. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:557-573. [PMID: 30863078 PMCID: PMC6388953 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s158996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Much of human interaction is predicated upon our innate capacity to infer the thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and perspectives of others, in short, to possess a "theory of mind" (ToM). While the term has evolved considerably since its inception, ToM encompasses our unique ability to apprehend the mental states of others, enabling us to anticipate and predict subsequent behavior. From a developmental perspective, ToM has been a topic of keen research interest, with numerous studies seeking to explicate the origins of this fundamental capacity and its disruption in developmental disorders such as autism. The study of ToM at the opposite end of the lifespan, however, is paradoxically new born, emerging as a topic of interest in its own right comparatively recently. Here, we consider the unique insights afforded by studying ToM capacity in neurodegenerative disorders. Arguing from a novel, transdiagnostic perspective, we consider how ToM vulnerability reflects the progressive degradation of neural circuits specialized for an array of higher-order cognitive processes. This mechanistic approach enables us to consider the common and unique neurocognitive mechanisms that underpin ToM dysfunction across neurodegenerative disorders and for the first time examine its relation to behavioral disturbances across social, intimate, legal, and criminal settings. As such, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of ToM research in neurodegeneration, the resultant challenges for family members, clinicians, and the legal profession, and future directions worthy of exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
| | - Siddharth Ramanan
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
| | - Muireann Irish
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- The University of Sydney, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia,
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26
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Galandra C, Basso G, Manera M, Crespi C, Giorgi I, Vittadini G, Poggi P, Canessa N. Abnormal fronto-striatal intrinsic connectivity reflects executive dysfunction in alcohol use disorders. Cortex 2019; 115:27-42. [PMID: 30738999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The neural bases of cognitive impairment(s) in alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have been explained either with the specific involvement of frontal regions mostly affected by alcohol neurotoxic effects, or with a global brain damage underlying different neuro-cognitive alterations. Novel insights into this issue might come from the analysis of resting-state brain activity, representing a baseline level of intrinsic connectivity within and between the networks underlying cognitive performance. We thus addressed the neural bases of cognitive impairment(s) in 22 AUD patients, compared with 18 healthy controls, by coupling resting-state fMRI with an in-depth neuropsychological assessment of the main cognitive domains. We assessed a relationship between AUD patients' cognitive impairment and two complementary facets of intrinsic brain functioning, i.e., intensity of activation and functional network connectivity, related to the strength of connectivity within and between resting-state networks, respectively. Alcoholic patients' decreased cognitive performance involved specifically an executive domain associated with attentional and working-memory tasks. This impairment reflected an abnormal relationship, in patients versus controls, between cognitive performance and the intensity of intrinsic activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal and striatal nodes of the executive control network. Functional connectivity between the same structures was positively correlated with executive performance in the whole sample, but significantly reduced in patients. The present data suggest that AUD patients' executive impairment reflects dysfunctional connectivity between the cortical and subcortical nodes of the networks underlying cognitive control on goal-directed behavior. This evidence provides a baseline for future studies addressing the abnormal neural architecture underlying cognitive impairment in AUDs and the outcome of rehabilitative treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Galandra
- Scuola universitaria superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy; Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy; LabNIT, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gianpaolo Basso
- LabNIT, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy; University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Crespi
- Scuola universitaria superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy; LabNIT, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ines Giorgi
- Clinical Psychology Unit, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | | | | | - Nicola Canessa
- Scuola universitaria superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy; Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy.
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27
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Dodich A, Zollo M, Crespi C, Cappa SF, Laureiro Martinez D, Falini A, Canessa N. Short-term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01159. [PMID: 30485713 PMCID: PMC6346416 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While cross-sectional studies have shown neural changes in long-term meditators, they might be confounded by self-selection and potential baseline differences between meditators and non meditators. Prospective longitudinal studies of the effects of meditation in naïve subjects are more conclusive with respect to causal inferences, but related evidence is so far limited. METHODS Here, we assessed the effects of a 4-week Sahaja Yoga meditation training on gray matter density and spontaneous resting-state brain activity in a group of 12 meditation-naïve healthy adults. RESULTS Compared with 30 control subjects, the participants to meditation training showed increased gray matter density and changes in the coherence of intrinsic brain activity in two adjacent regions of the right inferior frontal gyrus encompassing the anterior component of the executive control network. Both these measures correlated with self-reported well-being scores in the meditation group. CONCLUSIONS The significant impact of a brief meditation training on brain regions associated with attention, self-control, and self-awareness may reflect the engagement of cognitive control skills in searching for a state of mental silence, a distinctive feature of Sahaja Yoga meditation. The manifold implications of these findings involve both managerial and rehabilitative settings concerned with well-being and emotional state in normal and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Dodich
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,NIMTlab, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maurizio Zollo
- Invernizzi Center for Research in Innovation, Organization and Strategy, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Crespi
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,NeTS Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- NeTS Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.,IRCCS San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Falini
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Neuroradiology Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- NeTS Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
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28
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Pick E, Kleinbub JR, Mannarini S, Palmieri A. Empathy In Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:3287-3304. [PMID: 31819455 PMCID: PMC6878921 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s225920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Empathy, in its affective and cognitive components, is a crucial interpersonal ability. It is broadly studied in the field of psychopathology, whereas its study in the neurodegenerative diseases is relatively recent. Existing literature, though, focused on a reduced subset of considered diseases, which often found a compromise in empathy abilities. Organized knowledge about a more comprehensive set of diseases is lacking. METHOD The present PRISMA systematic review was aimed at collecting the current available literature concerning empathic alterations in adult patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases. It considered the different empathy components, evaluated existing patterns, the impact on patients' lives, and treatment considerations. RESULTS Overall, the 32 retrieved studies describe a spread deterioration of empathic abilities in patients, with each disease displaying its own pattern of empathy functioning. Literature in this field is fragmented and of heterogeneous quality, and further studies are warranted to increase evidence of many preliminary results. DISCUSSION In conclusion, we highlight the crucial importance of acknowledging empathy deficits in these diseases, showing their repercussion on both patients' and caregivers' quality of life, the establishment of a functional doctor-patient relationship, and the development of efficacious psychological intervention. These clinical approaches can be enriched by the knowledge of the spared abilities of patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Pick
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Johann R Kleinbub
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Stefania Mannarini
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Interdepartmental Center for Family Research, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Arianna Palmieri
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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29
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Beadle JN, de la Vega CE. Impact of Aging on Empathy: Review of Psychological and Neural Mechanisms. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:331. [PMID: 31244684 PMCID: PMC6580149 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy in aging is a key capacity because it affects the quality of older adults' relationships and reduced levels are associated with greater loneliness. Many older adults also find themselves in the role of a caregiver to a loved one, and thus empathy is critical for the success of the caregiver-patient relationship. Furthermore, older adults are motivated to make strong emotional connections with others, as highlighted in the socioemotional selectivity theory. Consequently, reductions in empathy could negatively impact their goals. However, there is growing evidence that older adults experience at least some changes in empathy, depending on the domain. Specifically, the state of the research is that older adults have lower cognitive empathy (i.e., the ability to understand others' thoughts and feelings) than younger adults, but similar and in some cases even higher levels of emotional empathy (i.e., the ability to feel emotions that are similar to others' or feel compassion for them). A small number of studies have examined the neural mechanisms for age-related differences in empathy and have found reduced activity in a key brain area associated with cognitive empathy. However, more research is needed to further characterize how brain changes impact empathy with age, especially in the emotional domain of empathy. In this review, we discuss the current state of the research on age-related differences in the psychological and neural bases of empathy, with a specific comparison of the cognitive versus emotional components. Finally, we highlight new directions for research in this area and examine the implications of age-related differences in empathy for older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle N Beadle
- Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States
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30
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Social Cognition through the Lens of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 2018:4283427. [PMID: 30302338 PMCID: PMC6158937 DOI: 10.1155/2018/4283427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Social cognition refers to a set of processes, ranging from perception to decision-making, underlying the ability to decode others' intentions and behaviors to plan actions fitting with social and moral, besides individual and economic considerations. Its centrality in everyday life reflects the neural complexity of social processing and the ubiquity of social cognitive deficits in different pathological conditions. Social cognitive processes can be clustered in three domains associated with (a) perceptual processing of social information such as faces and emotional expressions (social perception), (b) grasping others' cognitive or affective states (social understanding), and (c) planning behaviors taking into consideration others', in addition to one's own, goals (social decision-making). We review these domains from the lens of cognitive neuroscience, i.e., in terms of the brain areas mediating the role of such processes in the ability to make sense of others' behavior and plan socially appropriate actions. The increasing evidence on the “social brain” obtained from healthy young individuals nowadays constitutes the baseline for detecting changes in social cognitive skills associated with physiological aging or pathological conditions. In the latter case, impairments in one or more of the abovementioned domains represent a prominent concern, or even a core facet, of neurological (e.g., acquired brain injury or neurodegenerative diseases), psychiatric (e.g., schizophrenia), and developmental (e.g., autism) disorders. To pave the way for the other papers of this issue, addressing the social cognitive deficits associated with severe acquired brain injury, we will briefly discuss the available evidence on the status of social cognition in normal aging and its breakdown in neurodegenerative disorders. Although the assessment and treatment of such impairments is a relatively novel sector in neurorehabilitation, the evidence summarized here strongly suggests that the development of remediation procedures for social cognitive skills will represent a future field of translational research in clinical neuroscience.
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31
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Healey ML, Grossman M. Cognitive and Affective Perspective-Taking: Evidence for Shared and Dissociable Anatomical Substrates. Front Neurol 2018; 9:491. [PMID: 29988515 PMCID: PMC6026651 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Perspective-taking refers to the ability to recognize another person's point of view. Crucial to the development of interpersonal relationships and prosocial behavior, perspective-taking is closely linked to human empathy, and like empathy, perspective-taking is commonly subdivided into cognitive and affective components. While the two components of empathy have been frequently compared, the differences between cognitive and affective perspective-taking have been under-investigated in the cognitive neuroscience literature to date. Here, we define cognitive perspective-taking as the ability to infer an agent's thoughts or beliefs, and affective perspective-taking as the ability to infer an agent's feelings or emotions. In this paper, we review data from functional imaging studies in healthy adults as well as behavioral and structural imaging studies in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia in order to determine if there are distinct neural correlates for cognitive and affective perspective-taking. Data suggest that there are both shared and non-shared cognitive and anatomic substrates. For example, while both types of perspective-taking engage regions such as the temporoparietal junction, precuneus, and temporal poles, only affective perspective-taking engages regions within the limbic system and basal ganglia. Differences are also observed in prefrontal cortex: while affective perspective-taking engages ventromedial prefrontal cortex, cognitive perspective-taking engages dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). To corroborate these findings, we also examine if cognitive and affective perspective-taking share the same relationship with executive functions. While it is clear that affective perspective-taking requires emotional substrates that are less prominent in cognitive perspective-taking, it remains unknown to what extent executive functions (including working memory, mental set switching, and inhibitory control) may contribute to each process. Overall results indicate that cognitive perspective-taking is dependent on executive functioning (particularly mental set switching), while affective perspective-taking is less so. We conclude with a critique of the current literature, with a focus on the different outcome measures used across studies and misconceptions due to imprecise terminology, as well as recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan L Healey
- Penn Department of Neurology and Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Penn Department of Neurology and Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Carr AR, Mendez MF. Affective Empathy in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: A Meta-Analysis. Front Neurol 2018; 9:417. [PMID: 29946291 PMCID: PMC6005854 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Empathy deficits are a widely recognized symptom in the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and although several reviews have examined cognitive empathy deficits, there are no meta-analytic studies on affective empathy deficits. Objective: Identify salience of affective empathy in bvFTD. Method: A thorough review of affective empathy found 139 possible studies, but only 10 studies included measures of affective empathy and met standardized criteria. Results: BvFTD patients demonstrated a modest impairment compared to controls across all tasks (d = 0.98). Empathic concern as measured by the interpersonal reactivity index was particularly effected (d = 1.12). Conclusions: This study provides evidence for an increased commitment to observing affective empathy in bvFTD and capturing its role in the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Carr
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mario F. Mendez
- V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Departments of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Social Cognition Dysfunctions in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Neuroanatomical Correlates and Clinical Implications. Behav Neurol 2018; 2018:1849794. [PMID: 29854017 PMCID: PMC5944290 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1849794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Social cognitive function, involved in the perception, processing, and interpretation of social information, has been shown to be crucial for successful communication and interpersonal relationships, thereby significantly impacting mental health, well-being, and quality of life. In this regard, assessment of social cognition, mainly focusing on four key domains, such as theory of mind (ToM), emotional empathy, and social perception and behavior, has been increasingly evaluated in clinical settings, given the potential implications of impairments of these skills for therapeutic decision-making. With regard to neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), most disorders, characterized by variable disease phenotypes and progression, although similar for the unfavorable prognosis, are associated to impairments of social cognitive function, with consequent negative effects on patients' management. Specifically, in some NDs these deficits may represent core diagnostic criteria, such as for behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), or may emerge during the disease course as critical aspects, such as for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. On this background, we aimed to revise the most updated evidence on the neurobiological hypotheses derived from network-based approaches, clinical manifestations, and assessment tools of social cognitive dysfunctions in NDs, also prospecting potential benefits on patients' well-being, quality of life, and outcome derived from potential therapeutic perspectives of these deficits.
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Hohenfeld C, Werner CJ, Reetz K. Resting-state connectivity in neurodegenerative disorders: Is there potential for an imaging biomarker? Neuroimage Clin 2018; 18:849-870. [PMID: 29876270 PMCID: PMC5988031 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Biomarkers in whichever modality are tremendously important in diagnosing of disease, tracking disease progression and clinical trials. This applies in particular for disorders with a long disease course including pre-symptomatic stages, in which only subtle signs of clinical progression can be observed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers hold particular promise due to their relative ease of use, cost-effectiveness and non-invasivity. Studies measuring resting-state functional MR connectivity have become increasingly common during recent years and are well established in neuroscience and related fields. Its increasing application does of course also include clinical settings and therein neurodegenerative diseases. In the present review, we critically summarise the state of the literature on resting-state functional connectivity as measured with functional MRI in neurodegenerative disorders. In addition to an overview of the results, we briefly outline the methods applied to the concept of resting-state functional connectivity. While there are many different neurodegenerative disorders cumulatively affecting a substantial number of patients, for most of them studies on resting-state fMRI are lacking. Plentiful amounts of papers are available for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), but only few works being available for the less common neurodegenerative diseases. This allows some conclusions on the potential of resting-state fMRI acting as a biomarker for the aforementioned two diseases, but only tentative statements for the others. For AD, the literature contains a relatively strong consensus regarding an impairment of the connectivity of the default mode network compared to healthy individuals. However, for AD there is no considerable documentation on how that alteration develops longitudinally with the progression of the disease. For PD, the available research points towards alterations of connectivity mainly in limbic and motor related regions and networks, but drawing conclusions for PD has to be done with caution due to a relative heterogeneity of the disease. For rare neurodegenerative diseases, no clear conclusions can be drawn due to the few published results. Nevertheless, summarising available data points towards characteristic connectivity alterations in Huntington's disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple systems atrophy and the spinocerebellar ataxias. Overall at this point in time, the data on AD are most promising towards the eventual use of resting-state fMRI as an imaging biomarker, although there remain issues such as reproducibility of results and a lack of data demonstrating longitudinal changes. Improved methods providing more precise classifications as well as resting-state network changes that are sensitive to disease progression or therapeutic intervention are highly desirable, before routine clinical use could eventually become a reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Hohenfeld
- RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Institute Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Cornelius J Werner
- RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Aachen, Germany; RWTH Aachen University, Section Interdisciplinary Geriatrics, Aachen, Germany
| | - Kathrin Reetz
- RWTH Aachen University, Department of Neurology, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Institute Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
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Meijboom R, Steketee RME, Ham LS, van der Lugt A, van Swieten JC, Smits M. Differential Hemispheric Predilection of Microstructural White Matter and Functional Connectivity Abnormalities between Respectively Semantic and Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 56:789-804. [PMID: 28059782 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Semantic dementia (SD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), subtypes of frontotemporal dementia, are characterized by distinct clinical symptoms and neuroimaging features, with predominant left temporal grey matter (GM) atrophy in SD and bilateral or right frontal GM atrophy in bvFTD. Such differential hemispheric predilection may also be reflected by other neuroimaging features, such as brain connectivity. This study investigated white matter (WM) microstructure and functional connectivity differences between SD and bvFTD, focusing on the hemispheric predilection of these differences. Eight SD and 12 bvFTD patients, and 17 controls underwent diffusion tensor imaging and resting state functional MRI at 3T. Whole-brain WM microstructure was assessed to determine distinct WM tracts affected in SD and bvFTD. For these tracts, diffusivity measures and lateralization indices were calculated. Functional connectivity was established for GM regions affected in early stage SD or bvFTD. Results of a direct comparison between SD and bvFTD are reported. Whole-brain WM microstructure abnormalities were more pronounced in the left hemisphere in SD and bilaterally- with a slight predilection for the right- in bvFTD. Lateralization of tract-specific abnormalities was seen in SD only, toward the left hemisphere. Functional connectivity of disease-specific regions was mainly decreased bilaterally in SD and in the right hemisphere in bvFTD. SD and bvFTD show WM microstructure and functional connectivity abnormalities in different regions, that are respectively more pronounced in the left hemisphere in SD and in the right hemisphere in bvFTD. This indicates differential hemispheric predilection of brain connectivity abnormalities between SD and bvFTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozanna Meijboom
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca M E Steketee
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Leontine S Ham
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aad van der Lugt
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John C van Swieten
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marion Smits
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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36
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Healey ML, Grossman M. Cognitive and Affective Perspective-Taking: Evidence for Shared and Dissociable Anatomical Substrates. Front Neurol 2018. [PMID: 29988515 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00491/bibtex] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Perspective-taking refers to the ability to recognize another person's point of view. Crucial to the development of interpersonal relationships and prosocial behavior, perspective-taking is closely linked to human empathy, and like empathy, perspective-taking is commonly subdivided into cognitive and affective components. While the two components of empathy have been frequently compared, the differences between cognitive and affective perspective-taking have been under-investigated in the cognitive neuroscience literature to date. Here, we define cognitive perspective-taking as the ability to infer an agent's thoughts or beliefs, and affective perspective-taking as the ability to infer an agent's feelings or emotions. In this paper, we review data from functional imaging studies in healthy adults as well as behavioral and structural imaging studies in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia in order to determine if there are distinct neural correlates for cognitive and affective perspective-taking. Data suggest that there are both shared and non-shared cognitive and anatomic substrates. For example, while both types of perspective-taking engage regions such as the temporoparietal junction, precuneus, and temporal poles, only affective perspective-taking engages regions within the limbic system and basal ganglia. Differences are also observed in prefrontal cortex: while affective perspective-taking engages ventromedial prefrontal cortex, cognitive perspective-taking engages dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). To corroborate these findings, we also examine if cognitive and affective perspective-taking share the same relationship with executive functions. While it is clear that affective perspective-taking requires emotional substrates that are less prominent in cognitive perspective-taking, it remains unknown to what extent executive functions (including working memory, mental set switching, and inhibitory control) may contribute to each process. Overall results indicate that cognitive perspective-taking is dependent on executive functioning (particularly mental set switching), while affective perspective-taking is less so. We conclude with a critique of the current literature, with a focus on the different outcome measures used across studies and misconceptions due to imprecise terminology, as well as recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan L Healey
- Penn Department of Neurology and Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Penn Department of Neurology and Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Sambataro F, Visintin E, Doerig N, Brakowski J, Holtforth MG, Seifritz E, Spinelli S. Altered dynamics of brain connectivity in major depressive disorder at-rest and during task performance. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2017; 259:1-9. [PMID: 27918910 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with alterations in several functional brain networks. Previous studies investigating brain networks in MDD during the performance of a task have yielded inconsistent results with the function of the brain at rest. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest and during a goal-directed task to investigate dynamics of functional connectivity in 19 unmedicated patients with MDD and 19 healthy controls across both experimental paradigms. Patients had spatial differences in the default mode network (DMN), in the executive network (EN), and in the dorsal attention network (DAN) compared to controls at rest and during task performance. In patients the amplitude of the low frequency (LFO) oscillations was reduced in the motor and in the DAN networks during both paradigms. There was a diagnosis by paradigm interaction on the LFOs amplitude of the salience network, with increased amplitude change between task and rest in patients relative to controls. Our findings suggest that the function of several networks could be intrinsically affected in MDD and this could be viable phenotype for the investigation on the neurobiological mechanisms of this disorder and its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Sambataro
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medical Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
| | - Eleonora Visintin
- Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Nadja Doerig
- Clinical Center for Psychosomatics, Sanatorium Kilchberg AG, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Janis Brakowski
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center, University and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simona Spinelli
- Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center, University and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Preclinical Laboratory for Translational Research into Affective Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
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38
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Arroyo-Anlló EM, Chamorro Sánchez J, Ortiz Oria VM, Gil R. Consciencia del otro en patologías neurodegenerativas. REVISTA LATINOAMERICANA DE PSICOLOGIA 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rlp.2015.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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40
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Crespi C, Cerami C, Dodich A, Canessa N, Iannaccone S, Corbo M, Lunetta C, Falini A, Cappa SF. Microstructural Correlates of Emotional Attribution Impairment in Non-Demented Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161034. [PMID: 27513746 PMCID: PMC4981464 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairments in the ability to recognize and attribute emotional states to others have been described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and linked to the dysfunction of key nodes of the emotional empathy network. Microstructural correlates of such disorders are still unexplored. We investigated the white-matter substrates of emotional attribution deficits in a sample of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients without cognitive decline. Thirteen individuals with either probable or definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 14 healthy controls were enrolled in a Diffusion Tensor Imaging study and administered the Story-based Empathy Task, assessing the ability to attribute mental states to others (i.e., Intention and Emotion attribution conditions). As already reported, a significant global reduction of empathic skills, mainly driven by a failure in Emotion Attribution condition, was found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients compared to healthy subjects. The severity of this deficit was significantly correlated with fractional anisotropy along the forceps minor, genu of corpus callosum, right uncinate and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi. The involvement of frontal commissural fiber tracts and right ventral associative fronto-limbic pathways is the microstructural hallmark of the impairment of high-order processing of socio-emotional stimuli in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These results support the notion of the neurofunctional and neuroanatomical continuum between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Crespi
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Chiara Cerami
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Turro, Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandra Dodich
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- NeTS Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sandro Iannaccone
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Turro, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Corbo
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa Cura Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Christian Lunetta
- NEuroMuscolar Omnicentre, Fondazione Serena Onlus, Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Falini
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- CERMAC – Neuroradiology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano F. Cappa
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- NeTS Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
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Dermody N, Wong S, Ahmed R, Piguet O, Hodges JR, Irish M. Uncovering the Neural Bases of Cognitive and Affective Empathy Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease and the Behavioral-Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 2016; 53:801-16. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-160175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nadene Dermody
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stephanie Wong
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rebekah Ahmed
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
- Prince of Wales Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Olivier Piguet
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
- School of Medical Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, Australia
| | - John R. Hodges
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
- School of Medical Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, Australia
| | - Muireann Irish
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, Australia
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