Isolated theory of mind deficits and risk for frontotemporal dementia: a longitudinal pilot study

Pardini, Matteo; Gialloreti, Leonardo Emberti; Mascolo, Maria Grazia; Benassi, Francesca; Abate, L; Guida, Silvia; Viani, Erica; Monte, Olga Dal; Schintu, Selene; Krueger, Frank; Cocito, Leonardo

doi:10.1136/jnnp-2012-303684

Cited by 47 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous work has noted difficulty on tasks requiring inference-making such as Theory of Mind (Adenzato et al, 2010; Gregory et al, 2002; Pardini et al, 2013; Torralva et al, 2007) and fMRI studies of social cognition have implicated vmPFC in Theory of Mind measures (e.g., Amodio & Frith, 2006; Enrici, Adenzato, Cappa, Bara, & Tettamanti, 2011; Frith & Frith, 2006; Mitchell, 2009; Saxe, 2006; Van Overwalle & Baetens, 2009). Taken together, these findings appear to suggest that vmPFC disease in patients with bvFTD compromises the inference-making component of their social interactions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…bvFTD is a neurodegenerative disease associated with progressive frontal and anterior temporal atrophy that results in inappropriate social behavior and executive difficulty (Mendez et al, 2014; Rascovsky et al, 2011). These patients have difficulty on tasks requiring inference-making such as Theory of Mind (Adenzato, Cavallo, & Enrici, 2010; Gregory, Lough, Stone, & Erzinclioglu, 2002; Pardini et al, 2013; Torralva et al, 2007), although inference-making has rarely been assessed explicitly. Nevertheless, imaging studies (Adenzato, Cavallo, & Enrici, 2010; Eslinger et al, 2007; Gregory, Lough, Stone, & Erzinclioglu, 2002; Grossman, 2007; Grossman et al, 2010; Kipps & Hodges, 2006) and autopsy reports (e.g., Brettschneider et al, 2014; Hu et al, 2007) have shown that bvFTD affects dorsolateral, ventral and medial regions of the frontal lobe, and these regions have been implicated in several fMRI studies of social cognition (e.g., Amodio & Frith, 2006; Enrici, Adenzato, Cappa, Bara, & Tettamanti, 2011; Frith & Frith, 2006; Mitchell, 2009; Saxe, 2006; Van Overwalle & Baetens, 2009) and reasoning (e.g., Bhatt, Lohrenz, Camerer, & Montague, 2010; Meghana Bhatt & Camerer, 2005; Coricelli & Nagel, 2009; Goel, 2007; Prado & Noveck, 2007; Prado et al, 2014; Rypma, Berger, & Genova, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Beyond words: Pragmatic inference in behavioral variant of frontotemporal degeneration

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When the message of a speaker goes beyond the literal or logical meaning of the sentences used, a pragmatic inference is required to understand the complete meaning of an utterance. Here we study one example of pragmatic inference, called scalar implicature. Such an inference is required when a weaker term “some” is used in a sentence like “Some of the students passed the exam” because the speaker presumably had a reason not to use a stronger term like “all”. We investigated the comprehension of scalar implicatures in a group of 17 non-aphasic patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration (bvFTD) in order to test the contribution of non-linguistic decision-making ability and the role of prefrontal cortex in supporting the computation of pragmatic inferences. The results of two experiments point to a deficit in producing alternative interpretations beyond a logical reading. bvFTD patients thus prefer the narrowly literal or logical interpretation of a scalar term when they must generate a possible alternative interpretation by themselves, but patients prefer a pragmatic reading when offered a choice between the logical and the pragmatic interpretation of the same sentence. An imaging analysis links bvFTD patients’ spontaneous tendency toward a narrowly logical interpretation with atrophy in ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Our findings are consistent with the pragmatic tolerance hypothesis, which proposes that difficulty generating alternative interpretations of an utterance, rather than a frank inability to compute an inference, affects the comprehension of a scalar term.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond words: Pragmatic inference in behavioral variant of frontotemporal degeneration

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Regarding the effects on cognitive functions, our results suggested a positive effect of Souvenaid™ on social cognition, while we did not observe any effect on executive functions. However, we would like to point out that the evaluation of ToM is thought to represent a more sensible test of cognitive dysfunction in FTD as shown by a recent study by our group in which changes in RMET performance represented the first clinical symptom of FTD in a large sample of subjects [17]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Souvenaid Reduces Behavioral Deficits and Improves Social Cognition Skills in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Proof-of-Concept Study

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Souvenaid™ is a nutraceutical compound thought to positively enhance synaptic function. In line with this mechanism of action, Souvenaid™ has been shown to improve cognitive function in subjects with mild Alzheimer's disease in randomized clinical trials. To date, however, the potential of Souvenaid™ to improve cognitive functioning in subjects with other neurodegenerative conditions also characterized by synaptic loss has not been explored. Objective: To evaluate the impact of Souvenaid™ on executive functions, social cognition and behavioral disturbances in subjects with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD). Methods: Twenty-six subjects with bv-FTD were enrolled in the study and randomized to Souvenaid™ (125 ml/day) or placebo groups. After 12 weeks, subjects were switched between the two groups. All subjects, blinded to treatment, underwent clinical and cognitive evaluations at enrollment, after 12 weeks and after 24 weeks. Results: Treatment with Souvenaid™ was associated with a significant reduction of behavioral symptoms and an increase in Theory of Mind skills compared to placebo, which both returned to baseline when Souvenaid™ was discontinued. Souvenaid™ did not have an effect on executive functions. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence of the potential of Souvenaid™ therapy for the treatment of behavioral disturbances and social cognition skills in FTD.

show abstract

“…This test has been previously successfully used in HS in their seventh and eight decade of life [24]. A difference of at least 2 standard deviations (SD) from healthy control data has been associated in adults with clinically meaningful outcomes [25], while a RMET accuracy difference of 10 points has been associated with focal damage to key prefrontal areas for RMET performance [26].…”

Section: Tom Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freezing of gait and affective theory of mind in Parkinson disease

Ferrari

Lagravinese

Pelosin

et al. 2015

Parkinsonism & Related Disorders

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Isolated theory of mind deficits and risk for frontotemporal dementia: a longitudinal pilot study

Abstract: Our data suggest that isolated ToM deficits could represent an at-risk situation for the development of future prefrontal dysfunction and bvFTD. ToM evaluation should be included in neuropsychological protocols aimed to evaluate the early phases of dementia.

Cited by 47 publications

References 15 publications

Beyond words: Pragmatic inference in behavioral variant of frontotemporal degeneration

Beyond words: Pragmatic inference in behavioral variant of frontotemporal degeneration

Souvenaid Reduces Behavioral Deficits and Improves Social Cognition Skills in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Freezing of gait and affective theory of mind in Parkinson disease

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About