Is Impairment of Facial Emotion Recognition Independent of Cognitive Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis?

Overview

Journal Neurol Sci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2024 Jan 21

PMID 38246940

Authors

Yagmur Simge Sever Aktuna

Asli Koskderelioglu

Neslihan Eskut

Atalay Aktuna

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Emotions expressed on the face play a key role in social cognition and communication by providing inner emotional experiences. This study aimed to evaluate facial emotion identification and discrimination and empathy abilities in patients with MS and whether it is related to cognitive dysfunction.

Methods: One hundred twenty patients with relapsing-remitting MS and age- and sex-matched 120 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. All the subjects were evaluated with the Facial Emotion Identification Test (FEIT), Facial Emotion Discrimination Test (FEIDT), and Empathy Quotient (EQ). We used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression and detailed cognitive tests, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). The quality of life was assessed with Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQL-54).

Results: Patients with MS were 37.6 ± 9.5 years old, had a mean disease duration of 8.8 ± 6.6 (8-28) years, and a mean EDSS score of 1.6 ± 1.3 (0-4.5). We found significant differences in the identification of facial emotions, discrimination of facial emotions, and empathy in MS patients compared to controls (p < 0.05). Especially the recognition of feelings of sadness, fear, and shame was significantly lower in MS patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed low SDMT and FEIDT scores which showed an independent association with MS.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that facial emotion recognition and identification deficits are remarkable among patients with MS and emotion recognition is impaired together with and independently of cognitive dysfunction in MS patients.

Citing Articles

Facial and Emotion Recognition Deficits in Myasthenia Gravis.

Garcia-Sanchoyerto M, Salgueiro M, Ortega J, Rodriguez A, Parada-Fernandez P, Amayra I Healthcare (Basel). 2024; 12(16).

PMID: 39201141 PMC: 11353744. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12161582.

References

Kerr S, Neale J . Emotion perception in schizophrenia: specific deficit or further evidence of generalized poor performance?. J Abnorm Psychol. 1993; 102(2):312-8. DOI: 10.1037//0021-843x.102.2.312. View

Berneiser J, Wendt J, Grothe M, Kessler C, Hamm A, Dressel A . Impaired recognition of emotional facial expressions in patients with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2015; 3(4):482-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2014.02.001. View

Phillips L, Scott C, Henry J, Mowat D, Bell J . Emotion perception in Alzheimer's disease and mood disorder in old age. Psychol Aging. 2010; 25(1):38-47. DOI: 10.1037/a0017369. View

Benedict R, Priore R, Miller C, Munschauer F, Jacobs L . Personality disorder in multiple sclerosis correlates with cognitive impairment. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2001; 13(1):70-6. DOI: 10.1176/jnp.13.1.70. View

Pottgen J, Dziobek I, Reh S, Heesen C, Gold S . Impaired social cognition in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2013; 84(5):523-8. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2012-304157. View

Kurtzke J . Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis: an expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Neurology. 1983; 33(11):1444-52. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.33.11.1444. View

Chalah M, Ayache S . Deficits in Social Cognition: An Unveiled Signature of Multiple Sclerosis. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2017; 23(3):266-286. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617716001156. View

Rudick R, Antel J, Confavreux C, Cutter G, Ellison G, Fischer J . Recommendations from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Clinical Outcomes Assessment Task Force. Ann Neurol. 1997; 42(3):379-82. DOI: 10.1002/ana.410420318. View

Pagani E, Rocca M, Gallo A, Rovaris M, Martinelli V, Comi G . Regional brain atrophy evolves differently in patients with multiple sclerosis according to clinical phenotype. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2005; 26(2):341-6. PMC: 7974082. View

10.

Batista S, Alves C, dAlmeida O, Afonso A, Felix-Morais R, Pereira J . Disconnection as a mechanism for social cognition impairment in multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2017; 89(1):38-45. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004060. View

11.

Henry J, Phillips L, Beatty W, McDonald S, Longley W, Joscelyne A . Evidence for deficits in facial affect recognition and theory of mind in multiple sclerosis. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2009; 15(2):277-85. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617709090195. View

12.

Gleichgerrcht E, Tomashitis B, Sinay V . The relationship between alexithymia, empathy and moral judgment in patients with multiple sclerosis. Eur J Neurol. 2015; 22(9):1295-303. DOI: 10.1111/ene.12745. View

13.

Palermo R, Rhodes G . Are you always on my mind? A review of how face perception and attention interact. Neuropsychologia. 2006; 45(1):75-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.04.025. View

14.

Kraemer M, Herold M, Uekermann J, Kis B, Wiltfang J, Daum I . Theory of mind and empathy in patients at an early stage of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2012; 115(7):1016-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2012.10.027. View

15.

Pakenham K, Cox S . The dimensional structure of benefit finding in multiple sclerosis and relations with positive and negative adjustment: A longitudinal study. Psychol Health. 2010; 24(4):373-93. DOI: 10.1080/08870440701832592. View

16.

Henry A, Tourbah A, Chaunu M, Rumbach L, Montreuil M, Bakchine S . Social cognition impairments in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2011; 17(6):1122-31. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617711001147. View

17.

Realmuto S, Dodich A, Meli R, Canessa N, Ragonese P, Salemi G . Moral Cognition and Multiple Sclerosis: A Neuropsychological Study. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2018; 34(3):319-326. DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acy047. View

18.

Vickrey B, Hays R, Harooni R, Myers L, Ellison G . A health-related quality of life measure for multiple sclerosis. Qual Life Res. 1995; 4(3):187-206. DOI: 10.1007/BF02260859. View

19.

Beatty W, Orbelo D, Sorocco K, Ross E . Comprehension of affective prosody in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2003; 9(2):148-53. DOI: 10.1191/1352458503ms897oa. View

20.

Cecchetto C, Aiello M, DAmico D, Cutuli D, Cargnelutti D, Eleopra R . Facial and bodily emotion recognition in multiple sclerosis: the role of alexithymia and other characteristics of the disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2014; 20(10):1004-14. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617714000939. View