Social cognition disorders in selected neurological diseases

Social cognition, defined as the ability of an individual to understand their own and others’ social behaviors, is essential for functioning in society and building satisfying interpersonal relationships. Initially studied in individuals with mental and neurodevelopmental disorders, it is now increasingly examined in patients with neurological conditions to identify types of deficits and their consequences for the lives of affected individuals and their loved ones. The aim of this article is to characterize social cognition disorders in selected neurodegener-ative diseases (such as the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis) and non-progressive brain injuries (including stroke and traumatic brain injury). The description includes three main domains of social cognition: emotion perception, theory of mind, and empathy. The analysis demonstrates that social cognition disorders are a common issue in neurological diseases; however, depending on the type of disorder, they vary in symptom pattern, course, and the specific nature of damage to extensive neural networks regulating sociocognitive functions. The most significant social cognition deficits are observed in patients with the behavioural variant of fronto-temporal dementia and individuals who have suffered serious brain injuries. These deficits are usually considered primary – independent of other cognitive dysfunctions. In the other discussed conditions, social cognition disorders are less severe and often secondary to “non-social” cognitive impairments, especially executive dysfunctions. Overall, patients experience the greatest difficulties in recognizing others’ emotions and inferring their mental states, while empathy for observed emotions is typically less affected.