Roca María, Manes Facundo, Gleichgerrcht Ezequiel, Ibáñez Agustín, González de Toledo María E, Marenco Victoria, Bruno Diana, Torralva Teresa, Sinay Vladimiro
*Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Buenos Aires, Argentina †Institute of Neuroscience, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina ‡UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience (UIFCoN), Diego Portales University, Santiago, Chile §National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cogn Behav Neurol. 2014 Mar;27(1):25-30. doi: 10.1097/WNN.0000000000000017.
We studied theory of mind (ToM) in patients with mild relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), seeking possible dissociations between its 2 components: cognitive ToM (the ability to infer others' intentions) and affective ToM (the ability to infer others' emotional states). We analyzed the relationship of ToM to executive function, depression, and fatigue.
Dissociations between cognitive and affective ToM have been found in several neurologic and neuropsychiatric diseases. Most ToM studies in patients with MS have shown general ToM deficits but have not analyzed the cognitive and affective aspects individually.
We used the Faux Pas test of ToM and tests of executive function to assess 18 patients with mild relapsing-remitting MS and 16 control participants.
Our patients showed deficits in cognitive ToM, but their affective ToM seemed to be spared. Their cognitive ToM deficits were not related to executive dysfunction, depression, or fatigue.
Our study is the first differential analysis showing cognitive but not affective ToM deficits in mild relapsing-remitting MS. Further research is needed to determine the exact nature and the real impact of these deficits, and to establish their relationship with the neuropathology and progression of MS.
我们研究了轻度复发缓解型多发性硬化症（MS）患者的心理理论（ToM），探寻其两个组成部分之间可能存在的分离：认知心理理论（推断他人意图的能力）和情感心理理论（推断他人情绪状态的能力）。我们分析了心理理论与执行功能、抑郁和疲劳之间的关系。
在几种神经和神经精神疾病中已发现认知和情感心理理论之间存在分离。大多数针对MS患者的心理理论研究显示出总体心理理论缺陷，但未分别分析认知和情感方面。
我们使用心理理论的失礼测试和执行功能测试来评估18例轻度复发缓解型MS患者和16名对照参与者。
我们的患者表现出认知心理理论缺陷，但他们的情感心理理论似乎未受影响。他们的认知心理理论缺陷与执行功能障碍、抑郁或疲劳无关。
我们的研究是首次进行的差异分析，显示轻度复发缓解型MS存在认知而非情感心理理论缺陷。需要进一步研究以确定这些缺陷的确切性质和实际影响，并确定它们与MS神经病理学和病程的关系。
