- Universität Zürich > Philosophische Fakultät > Psychologisches Institut > Neuropsychologie > PD Dr. Hennric Jokeit
- Jokeit
Current Research Project
- Title / Titel
- Social cognition in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
- Summary / Zusammenfassung
- The terms social cognition and ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) refer to the ability to attribute mental states to others in order to understand their behavior, desires, and intentions. This capacity is an important prerequisite for the highly complex, flexible social behavior of humans. Imaging and lesion studies have identified a widely distributed neural system including prefrontal, orbitofrontal, mesolimbic, and temporolateral brain structures involved in ToM processing. These regions may also be affected in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Therefore, this epilepsy syndrome may well interfere with ToM abilities. MTLE is usually not associated with readily apparent social deficits. Nevertheless, psychosocial maladjustment and psychiatric comorbidity are frequent, which may indicate deficits in social cognition. Few investigations into social cognitive abilities in patients with MTLE have been carried out. There is some evidence that MTLE affects basic social perceptual abilities such as the perception of facial emotions which are assumed to be the precursors of ToM knowledge. This issue, however, remains controversial. ToM tests are more complex and therefore possibly more sensitive in detecting subtle impairments in social cognition. In one recent study we found that patients with mTLE, as compared to patients with an epilepsy not originating in the mesiotemporal or frontal lobe and healthy controls, were impaired in their ability to recognize a faux pas, a typical ToM skill. This finding suggests that mTLE as such could be a specific etiology of deficits in higher-order social cognition. This would have consequences for the diagnostics and treatment of this epilepsy syndrome.
- Publications / Publikationen
- Schacher M, Winkler R, Grunwald T et al. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy impairs advanced social cognition. Epilepsia 2006; 47: 2141-2146.
Schacher M, Haemmerle B, Woermann FG et al. Amygdala fMRI lateralizes temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurology 2006; 66: 81-87.
- Keywords / Suchbegriffe
- Epilepsy, social cognition, Theory of Mind, temporal lobe, emotion, affect
- Project Leadership and Contacts /
Projektleitung und Kontakte PD Hennric Jokeit, PhD (Project Leader) h.jokeit(a)swissepi.ch Beatrice Brunner, MA beatrice.brunner(a)swissepi.ch
- Funding Source(s) /
Unterstützt durch - Foundation
- Duration of Project / Projektdauer
- Jan 2006 to Dec 2010