Is Theory of Mind Related to Social Dysfunction and Emotional Problems in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (velo-cardio-facial Syndrome)?

Overview

Journal J Neurodev Disord

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2011 May 6

PMID 21544568

Citations 30

Authors

Linda E Campbell

Angela F Stevens

Kathryn McCabe

Lynne Cruickshank

Robin G Morris

Declan G M Murphy

Kieran C Murphy

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Social dysfunction is intrinsically involved in severe psychiatric disorders such as depression and psychosis and linked with poor theory of mind. Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS, or velo-cardio-facial syndrome) have poor social competence and are also at a particularly high risk of developing mood (40%) and psychotic (up to 30%) disorders in adolescence and young adulthood. However, it is unknown if these problems are associated with theory of mind skills, including underlying social-cognitive and social-perceptual mechanisms. The present cross-sectional study included classic social-cognitive false-belief and mentalising tasks and social-perceptual face processing tasks. The performance of 50 children with 22q11DS was compared with 31 age-matched typically developing sibling controls. Key findings indicated that, while younger children with 22q11DS showed impaired acquisition of social-cognitive skills, older children with 22q11DS were not significantly impaired compared with sibling controls. However, children with 22q11DS were found to have social-perceptual deficits, as demonstrated by difficulties in matching faces on the basis of identity, emotion, facial speech and gaze compared with sibling controls. Furthermore, performance on the tasks was associated with age, language ability and parentally rated social competence and emotional problems. These results are discussed in relation to the importance of a better delineation of social competence in this population.

Citing Articles

Social Cognition Impairments in 22q11.2DS Individuals With and Without Psychosis: A Comparison Study With a Large Population of Patients With Schizophrenia.

Accinni T, Buzzanca A, Frascarelli M, Carlone L, Ghezzi F, Kotzalidis G Schizophr Bull Open. 2024; 3(1):sgab049.

PMID: 39144801 PMC: 11205897. DOI: 10.1093/schizbullopen/sgab049.

Structural Connectivity and Emotion Recognition Impairment in Children and Adolescents with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

Sanders A, Hobbs D, Knaus T, Beaton E J Autism Dev Disord. 2022; 53(10):4021-4034.

PMID: 35917023 PMC: 10898588. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05675-z.

Recognition of facial emotion expressions and perceptual processes in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Buzzanca A, Accinni T, Frascarelli M, Troisi E, Kotzalidis G, Di Bonaventura C Early Interv Psychiatry. 2022; 17(1):76-84.

PMID: 35347860 PMC: 10078714. DOI: 10.1111/eip.13295.

Social behavior in 16p11.2 and 22q11.2 copy number variations: Insights from mice and humans.

Benedetti A, Molent C, Barcik W, Papaleo F Genes Brain Behav. 2021; 21(5):e12787.

PMID: 34889032 PMC: 9744525. DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12787.

Two novel mouse models mimicking minor deletions in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome revealed the contribution of each deleted region to psychiatric disorders.

Saito R, Miyoshi C, Koebis M, Kushima I, Nakao K, Mori D Mol Brain. 2021; 14(1):68.

PMID: 33845872 PMC: 8042712. DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00778-7.

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