Ayache Samar S, Chalah Moussa A
EA 4391 Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est, 94010 Créteil, France.
Service de Physiologie-Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 94010 Créteil, France.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2018 Nov 16;8(11):105. doi: 10.3390/bs8110105.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system through which patients can suffer from sensory, motor, cerebellar, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. Although cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions are frequently encountered in MS patients, they have previously received little attention. Among the most frequently impaired cognitive domains are attention, information processing speed, and working memory, which have been extensively addressed in this population. However, less emphasis has been placed on other domains like moral judgment. The latter is a complex cognitive sphere that implies the individuals' ability to judge others' actions and relies on numerous affective and cognitive processes. Moral cognition is crucial for healthy and adequate interpersonal relationships, and its alteration might have drastic impacts on patients' quality of life. This work aims to analyze the studies that have addressed moral cognition in MS. Only three works have previously addressed moral judgement in this clinical population compared to healthy controls, and none included neuroimaging or physiological measures. Although scarce, the available data suggest a complex pattern of moral judgments that deviate from normal response. This finding was accompanied by socio-emotional and cognitive deficits. Only preliminary data are available on moral cognition in MS, and its neurobiological foundations are still needing to be explored. Future studies would benefit from combining moral cognitive measures with comprehensive neuropsychological batteries and neuroimaging/neurophysiological modalities (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging, tractography, evoked potentials, electroencephalography) aiming to decipher the neural underpinning of moral judgement deficits and subsequently conceive potential interventions in MS patients.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种中枢神经系统的慢性炎症性和神经退行性疾病，患者可能会出现感觉、运动、小脑、情感和认知症状。尽管认知和行为功能障碍在MS患者中很常见，但此前它们很少受到关注。在最常受损的认知领域中，有注意力、信息处理速度和工作记忆，该人群对此已有广泛研究。然而，对于道德判断等其他领域的关注较少。后者是一个复杂的认知领域，涉及个体判断他人行为的能力，并依赖于众多情感和认知过程。道德认知对于健康和适当的人际关系至关重要，其改变可能会对患者的生活质量产生巨大影响。这项工作旨在分析已涉及MS患者道德认知的研究。与健康对照相比，此前仅有三项研究探讨了该临床人群的道德判断，且均未包括神经影像学或生理学测量。尽管数据稀少，但现有数据表明道德判断存在复杂模式，与正常反应不同。这一发现伴随着社会情感和认知缺陷。关于MS患者道德认知仅有初步数据，其神经生物学基础仍有待探索。未来的研究将受益于将道德认知测量与全面的神经心理测试组合以及神经影像学/神经生理学方法（如功能磁共振成像、神经束成像、诱发电位、脑电图）相结合，旨在解读道德判断缺陷的神经基础，并随后构思针对MS患者的潜在干预措施。
