Laboratory for Translational Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Brain and Emotion Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Laboratory for Translational Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Neuroimage Clin. 2019;22:101770. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101770. Epub 2019 Mar 12.
Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to attribute mental states to others. Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by profound deficits in social cognition, including ToM. We investigate whether bvFTD affects intention attribution tendency while viewing abstract animations and whether this might represent a primary deficit. A sample of 15 bvFTD patients and 19 matched controls were assessed on cognition and performed an implicit ToM task. They were instructed to describe what they observed in movement patterns displayed by geometrical shapes (triangles). These movement patterns either represented animacy, goal-directed actions or manipulation of mental state (ToM). The responses were scored for both accuracy and intentionality attribution. Using Voxel-Based Morphometry, we investigated the structural neuroanatomy associated with intention attribution tendency. The behavioral results revealed deficits in the bvFTD group on intentionality attribution that were specific for the ToM condition after controlling for global cognitive functioning (MMSE-score), visual attention (TMT B-score), fluid intelligence (RCPMT-score) and confrontation naming (BNT-score). In the bvFTD sample, the intention attribution tendency on the ToM-condition was associated with grey matter volume of a cluster in the cerebellum, spanning the right Crus I, Crus II, VIIIb, IX, left VIIb, IX and vermal IX and X. The results reveal a specific, primary, implicit domain-general ToM deficit in bvFTD that cannot be explained by cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, the findings point to a contribution of the cerebellum in the social-cognitive phenotype of bvFTD.
心理理论（Theory of mind，ToM）是指将心理状态归因于他人的能力。行为变异额颞叶痴呆（behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia，bvFTD）是一种神经退行性疾病，其特征是社会认知严重受损，包括心理理论。我们研究 bvFTD 是否会影响观看抽象动画时的意图归因倾向，以及这是否代表一种主要缺陷。我们对 15 名 bvFTD 患者和 19 名匹配的对照进行了认知评估，并进行了一项内隐心理理论任务。他们被指示描述他们在几何形状（三角形）显示的运动模式中观察到的内容。这些运动模式代表了能动性、有目的的动作或心理状态的操作（心理理论）。根据准确性和意图归因对反应进行评分。我们使用基于体素的形态学（Voxel-Based Morphometry）研究了与意图归因倾向相关的结构神经解剖学。行为结果显示，在控制整体认知功能（MMSE 评分）、视觉注意力（TMT B 评分）、流体智力（RCPMT 评分）和对质命名（BNT 评分）后，bvFTD 组在意图归因上存在缺陷，这种缺陷仅在心理理论条件下出现。在 bvFTD 样本中，心理理论条件下的意图归因倾向与小脑一个簇的灰质体积有关，该簇跨越右侧 Crus I、Crus II、VIIIb、IX、左侧 VIIb、IX 和 vermal IX 和 X。研究结果表明，在 bvFTD 中存在一种特定的、主要的、内隐的、领域一般性的心理理论缺陷，不能用认知功能障碍来解释。此外，研究结果还指出小脑在 bvFTD 的社会认知表型中具有一定的贡献。
