With the increased use of computer-based tests in clinical and research settings, assessing retest reliability and reliable change of NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) and Cogstate Brief Battery (Cogstate) is essential. Previous studies used mostly White samples, but Black/African Americans (B/AAs) must be included in this research to ensure reliability.

Participants were B/AA consensus-confirmed healthy controls (HCs) (n = 49) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 34) adults 60–85 years that completed NIHTB-CB and Cogstate for laptop at two timepoints within 4 months. Intraclass correlations, the Bland-Altman method, t-tests, and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used. Cut scores indicating reliable change provided.

NIHTB-CB composite reliability ranged from .81 to .93 (95% CIs [.37–.96]). The Fluid Composite demonstrated a significant difference between timepoints and was less consistent than the Crystallized Composite. Subtests were less consistent for MCIs (ICCs = .01–.89, CIs [−1.00–.95]) than for HCs (ICCs = .69–.93, CIs [.46–.92]). A moderate correlation was found for MCIs between timepoints and performance on the Total Composite (r = -.40, p = .03), Fluid Composite (r = -.38, p = .03), and Pattern Comparison Processing Speed (r = -.47, p = .006).

On Cogstate, HCs had lower reliability (ICCs = .47–.76, CIs [.05–.86]) than MCIs (ICCs = .65–.89, CIs [.29–.95]). Identification reaction time significantly improved between testing timepoints across samples.

The NIHTB-CB and Cogstate for laptop show promise for use in research with B/AAs and were reasonably stable up to 4 months. Still, differences were found between those with MCI and HCs. It is recommended that race and cognitive status be considered when using these measures.

The purpose of this invited paper was to summarize my clinical research on disturbances of higher order consciousness (i.e., primarily on self-awareness but including anosognosia and impaired awareness of another person’s cognitive/emotional state) that contributed to my receiving the Distinguished Career Award from the International Neuropsychology Society.

I reviewed my early clinical encounters with disturbances in higher order consciousness and then a series of studies performed with various colleagues over the last 45 years to better understand the nature of these disturbances. The findings obtained are also discussed within the context of other researchers’ observations during this time frame.

Disturbances in higher order consciousness include classic anosognosia, impaired self-awareness, denial of disability, and denial of ability. Proposed diagnostic features of each of these disturbances are outlined and a model for understanding their complex relationships suggested. Different treatment/rehabilitation approaches for these disturbances are also summarized.

Disturbances in higher order consciousness are often revealed when exploring with the person their subjective experiences of their neurological and neuropsychological functioning following different brain disorders. These subjective experiences have diagnostic value and lead to different rehabilitation approaches. The neuropsychological investigation of disturbances in higher order consciousness should include integrating knowledge from the neurosciences with nonbiological understandings of how cultural and personality features of the person may also influences their subjective experiences associated with a known or suspected brain disorder.

Validated computerized assessments for cognitive functioning are crucial for older individuals and those at risk of cognitive decline. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) exhibits good construct validity but requires validation in diverse populations and for adults aged 85+. This study uses data from the Assessing Reliable Measurement in Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive Aging study to explore differences in the factor structure of the NIHTB-CB for adults 85 and older, Black participants versus White participants, and those diagnosed as amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) vs cognitively normal (CN).

Subtests from the NACC UDS-3 and NIHTB-CB were administered to 503 community-dwelling Black and White adults ages 55–99 (367 CN; 136 aMCI). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to investigate the original factor structure of NIHTB-CB that forms the basis for NIHTB-CD Index factor scores.

Factor analyses for all participants and some participant subsets (aMCI, White, 85+) substantiated the two anticipated factors (Fluid and Crystallized). However, while Black aMCI participants had the expected two-factor structure, for Black CN participants, the List Sorting Working Memory and Picture Sequence tests loaded on the Crystallized factor.

Findings provide psychometric support for the NIHTB-CB. Differences in factor structure between Black CN individuals and Black aMCI individuals suggest potential instability across levels of cognitive impairment. Future research should explore changes in NIHTB-CB across diagnoses in different populations.

The present study sought to determine the associations between executive functioning and Big Five personality traits in an undergraduate sample.

Participants included 200 undergraduates (73% women), with a mean age of approximately 21 years. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-44 and a psychological assessment battery, which included the Trail Making Test and the Semantic Fluency Test.

Results from multiple regression analyses suggested agreeableness was negatively associated with Semantic Fluency – Animals (β = −0.310, p < 0.001). Moreover, conscientiousness was positively associated with Trail Making Test B-A (β = 0.197, p = 0.016), but negatively associated with Trail Making Test A (β = −0.193, p = 0.017).

Overall results identified that executive function association with personality varies by construct. Given conscientiousness’ differential associations within the executive function task performances, future research should examine the conscientious threshold that would result in psychological symptomatology associated with extreme lows and highs in conscientiousness.

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has the potential to improve cognitive functioning following neurological injury and in neurodegenerative conditions. In this case report, we present the first use of HD-tDCS in a person with severe anterograde amnesia following carbon monoxide poisoning.

The participant underwent two rounds of HD-tDCS that were separated by 3 months (Round 1 = 30 sessions; Round 2 = 31 sessions). We used finite element modeling of the participant’s structural MRI to develop an individualized montage that targeted multiple brain regions involved in memory encoding, as identified by Neurosynth.

Overall, the participant’s objective cognitive functioning improved significantly following Round 1, declined during the 2 months without HD-tDCS, and again improved following Round 2. Subjective informant reports from family and medical personnel followed this same pattern of improvement following each round with a decline in between rounds. We also provide preliminary evidence of altered brain activity during a learning/memory task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, which may help establish the physiological effects of HD-tDCS in future work.

Overall, these findings reinforce the potential value of HD-tDCS as a user-friendly method of enhancing cognition following anoxic/hypoxic brain injury.

To evaluate the impact of receptive vocabulary versus years of education on neuropsychological performance of Black and White older adults.

A community-based prospectively enrolled cohort (n = 1,007; 130 Black, 877 White) in the Emory Healthy Brain Study were administered the NIH Toolbox Picture Vocabulary Test and neuropsychological measures. Group differences were evaluated with age, sex, and education or age, sex, and Toolbox Vocabulary scores as covariates to determine whether performance differences between Black versus White participants were attenuated or eliminated.

With vocabulary as a covariate, the main effect of race was no longer significant for the MoCA, Phonemic Fluency, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and Rey Complex Figure Test immediate and delayed recall. Although still significantly different between groups, the effect sizes for Animal Fluency, Trails B-A, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and Rey Copy were attenuated, with the greatest reductions occurring for the Multilingual Naming Test and Judgment of Line Orientation.

Findings support the value of using receptive vocabulary as a proxy for premorbid ability level when comparing the cognitive performance of Black and White older adults. The results extend investigations using measures of single word reading to encompass measures assessing word meaning.

Accurate appraisal of one’s own abilities (i.e., insight) is necessary for appropriate compensatory behaviors and sustained independence during aging. Although insight is often purported to be related to executive functioning (EF), nuanced understanding of the cognitive correlates of insight for functional abilities among nondemented older adults is lacking. Because insight shares neuroanatomic underpinnings with time-based prospective memory (PM), the present study examined the contributions of time-based PM, beyond event-based PM and other potential cognitive confounds (i.e., episodic memory, time estimation, and EF), in predicting insight into one’s own performance on instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) among community-dwelling older adults.

A group of 88 nondemented, community-dwelling older adults completed performance-based measures of time- and event-based PM, episodic memory, time estimation, and EF, as well as IADL tasks followed by self-appraisals of their own IADL performance as indices of insight.

Time-based PM was moderately-to-strongly associated with insight, beyond event-based PM, time estimation, and episodic memory [F(1,83) = 11.58, p = .001, ηp2 = .122], as well as beyond EF and demographic covariates [F(1,79) = 10.72, p = .002, ηp2 = .119].Specifically, older adults who performed more poorly on a time-based PM task overestimated the efficiency of their own IADL performance to a greater extent.

Findings suggest that nondemented older adults with poorer time-based PM may be more prone to inaccurately appraising their functional abilities and that this vulnerability may not be adequately captured by traditional EF measures.

Higher white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume is a marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. CVD risk factors increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Mexican Americans (MA) and individuals of other Hispanic/Latino heritages have higher risk for CVD and ADRD. However, knowledge of associations between WMH volume and cognition in these groups remains limited.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of associations between WMH volume and neuropsychological performance (attention/executive functioning, memory) in MA (n = 851) and non-Hispanic White (NHW; n = 747) adults in the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities.

The MA group (mean age = 63.72 ± 7.90 years; 66.3% female) had higher rates of consensus diagnoses of hypertension and diabetes, whereas the NHW group (mean age = 69.18 ± 8.65 years; 55.2% female) had higher rates of diagnosed CVD (ps < .01). WMH volumes were higher among individuals with CVD risk factors/conditions (ps < .01). There were differential associations between WMH and neuropsychological performance across ethnoracial groups (ps < .001), wherein associations were steeper in the NHW group than in the MA group. Lower educational level was associated with higher WMH volume in the NHW group (p < .001), but no association was seen in the MA group (p > .05).

Negative effects of pathological changes in the form of WMH on cognition may be less robust or consistent for MA adults than NHW adults. Furthermore, the impact of WMH on cognition in NHW adults may be mitigated by cognitive reserve related to educational attainment.

Being married may protect late-life cognition. Less is known about living arrangement among unmarried adults and mechanisms such as brain health (BH) and cognitive reserve (CR) across race and ethnicity or sex/gender. The current study examines (1) associations between marital status, BH, and CR among diverse older adults and (2) whether one’s living arrangement is linked to BH and CR among unmarried adults.

Cross-sectional data come from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (N = 778, 41% Hispanic, 33% non-Hispanic Black, 25% non-Hispanic White; 64% women). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of BH included cortical thickness in Alzheimer’s disease signature regions and hippocampal, gray matter, and white matter hyperintensity volumes. CR was residual variance in an episodic memory composite after partialing out MRI markers. Exploratory analyses stratified by race and ethnicity and sex/gender and included potential mediators.

Marital status was associated with CR, but not BH. Compared to married individuals, those who were previously married (i.e., divorced, widowed, and separated) had lower CR than their married counterparts in the full sample, among White and Hispanic subgroups, and among women. Never married women also had lower CR than married women. These findings were independent of age, education, physical health, and household income. Among never married individuals, living with others was negatively linked to BH.

Marriage may protect late-life cognition via CR. Findings also highlight differential effects across race and ethnicity and sex/gender. Marital status could be considered when assessing the risk of cognitive impairment during routine screenings.

To establish quick-reference criteria regarding the frequency of statistically rare changes in seven neuropsychological measures administered to older adults.

Data from 935 older adults examined over a two-year interval were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The sample included 401 cognitively normal older adults whose scores were used to determine the natural distribution of change scores for seven cognitive measures and to set change score thresholds corresponding to the 5th percentile. The number of test scores that exceeded these thresholds were counted for the cognitively normal group, as well as 381 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 153 individuals with dementia. Regression analyses examined whether the number of change scores predicted diagnostic group membership beyond demographic covariates.

Only 4.2% of cognitively normal participants obtained two or more change scores that fell below the 5th percentile of change scores, compared to 10.6% of the stable MCI participants and 38.6% of those who converted to dementia. After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and premorbid estimates, the number of change scores below the 5th percentile significantly predicted diagnostic group membership.

It was uncommon for older adults to have two or more change scores fall below the 5th percentile thresholds in a seven-test battery. Higher change counts may identify those showing atypical cognitive decline.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, has shown some promise as a novel treatment approach for a range of mental health disorders, including OCD. This study provides a systematic review of the literature involving randomized controlled trials of tDCS for OCD and evaluates the quality of reporting using the CONSORT (Consolidating Standards of Reporting Trials) statement. This study also examined the outcomes of tDCS as a therapeutic tool for OCD.

This systematic review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023426005) and the data collected in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of reporting of included studies was evaluated in accordance with the CONSORT statement.

Eleven randomized controlled trials were identified. Evaluation of the reviewed studies revealed low levels of overall compliance with the CONSORT statement highlighting the need for improved reporting. Key areas included insufficient information about - the intervention (for replicability), participant flow, recruitment, and treatment effect sizes. Study discussions did not fully consider limitations and generalizability, and the discussion/interpretation of the findings were often incongruent with the results and therefore misleading. Only two studies reported a significant difference between sham and active tDCS for OCD outcomes, with small effect sizes noted.

The variability in protocols, lack of consistency in procedures, combined with limited significant findings, makes it difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions about the effectiveness of tDCS for OCD. Future studies need to be appropriately powered, empirically driven, randomized sham-controlled clinical trials.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), mental health conditions (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), and vascular comorbidities (e.g., hypertension, diabetes) are highly prevalent in the Veteran population and may exacerbate age-related changes to cerebral white matter (WM). Our study examined (1) relationships between health conditions—TBI history, PTSD, and vascular risk—and cerebral WM micro- and macrostructure, and (2) associations between WM measures and cognition.

We analyzed diffusion tensor images from 183 older male Veterans (mean age = 69.18; SD = 3.61) with (n = 95) and without (n = 88) a history of TBI using tractography. Generalized linear models examined associations between health conditions and diffusion metrics. Total WM hyperintensity (WMH) volume was calculated from fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. Robust regression examined associations between health conditions and WMH volume. Finally, elastic net regularized regression examined associations between WM measures and cognitive performance.

Veterans with and without TBI did not differ in severity of PTSD or vascular risk (p’s >0.05). TBI history, PTSD, and vascular risk were independently associated with poorer WM microstructural organization (p’s <0.5, corrected), however the effects of vascular risk were more numerous and widespread. Vascular risk was positively associated with WMH volume (p = 0.004, β=0.200, R2 = 0.034). Higher WMH volume predicted poorer processing speed (R2 = 0.052).

Relative to TBI history and PTSD, vascular risk may be more robustly associated with WM micro- and macrostructure. Furthermore, greater WMH burden is associated with poorer processing speed. Our study supports the importance of vascular health interventions in mitigating negative brain aging outcomes in Veterans.

Identifying persons with HIV (PWH) at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is complicated because memory deficits are common in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and a defining feature of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; a precursor to AD). Recognition memory deficits may be useful in differentiating these etiologies. Therefore, neuroimaging correlates of different memory deficits (i.e., recall, recognition) and their longitudinal trajectories in PWH were examined.

We examined 92 PWH from the CHARTER Program, ages 45–68, without severe comorbid conditions, who received baseline structural MRI and baseline and longitudinal neuropsychological testing. Linear and logistic regression examined neuroanatomical correlates (i.e., cortical thickness and volumes of regions associated with HAND and/or AD) of memory performance at baseline and multilevel modeling examined neuroanatomical correlates of memory decline (average follow-up = 6.5 years).

At baseline, thinner pars opercularis cortex was associated with impaired recognition (p = 0.012; p = 0.060 after correcting for multiple comparisons). Worse delayed recall was associated with thinner pars opercularis (p = 0.001) and thinner rostral middle frontal cortex (p = 0.006) cross sectionally even after correcting for multiple comparisons. Delayed recall and recognition were not associated with medial temporal lobe (MTL), basal ganglia, or other prefrontal structures. Recognition impairment was variable over time, and there was little decline in delayed recall. Baseline MTL and prefrontal structures were not associated with delayed recall.

Episodic memory was associated with prefrontal structures, and MTL and prefrontal structures did not predict memory decline. There was relative stability in memory over time. Findings suggest that episodic memory is more related to frontal structures, rather than encroaching AD pathology, in middle-aged PWH. Additional research should clarify if recognition is useful clinically to differentiate aMCI and HAND.

To introduce the Emory 10-element Complex Figure (CF) scoring system and recognition task. We evaluated the relationship between Emory CF scoring and traditional Osterrieth CF scoring approach in cognitively healthy volunteers. Additionally, a cohort of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) evaluation was assessed to compare the scoring methods in a clinical population.

The study included 315 volunteers from the Emory Healthy Brain Study (EHBS) with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores of 24/30 or higher. The clinical group consisted of 84 DBS candidates. Scoring time differences were analyzed in a subset of 48 DBS candidates.

High correlations between scoring methods were present for non-recognition components in both cohorts (EHBS: Copy r = 0.76, Immediate r = 0.86, Delayed r = 0.85, Recognition r = 47; DBS: Copy r = 0.80, Immediate r = 0.84, Delayed Recall r = 0.85, Recognition r = 0.37). Emory CF scoring times were significantly shorter than Osterrieth times across non-recognition conditions (all p < 0.00001, individual Cohen’s d: 1.4–2.4), resulting in an average time savings of 57%. DBS patients scored lower than EHBS participants across CF memory measures, with larger effect sizes for Emory CF scoring (Cohen’s d range = 1.0–1.2). Emory CF scoring demonstrated better group classification in logistic regression models, improving DBS candidate classification from 16.7% to 32.1% compared to Osterrieth scoring.

Emory CF scoring yields results that are highly correlated with traditional Osterrieth scoring, significantly reduces scoring time burden, and demonstrates greater sensitivity to memory decline in DBS candidates. Its efficiency and sensitivity make Emory CF scoring well-suited for broader implementation in clinical research.

Early mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion sustained between 0 and 5 years old) can lead to post-concussive symptoms, behavioral changes, and cognitive difficulties. Although school-age children (6–17 years old) experience similar consequences, severe neuropsychological deficits are not common, and the majority have no persisting symptoms after one month. Thus, there may be value in focusing on what characterizes optimal functioning (or wellness) after mTBI, but this has not been explored in young children. This study documents the evolution and predictors of optimal functioning after early mTBI.

Participants were 190 children aged 18 – 60 months with mTBI (n = 69), orthopedic injury (OI; n = 50), or typical development (TDC; n = 71). Optimal functioning was defined as: (1) no clinically significant behavioral problems; (2) no cognitive difficulties; (3) no persisting post-concussive symptoms; (4) average quality of life or better. Predictors related to sociodemographic, injury, child, and caregiver characteristics included number of acute symptoms, child sex, age, temperament, maternal education, parent-child attachment and interaction quality, and parenting stress.

Fewer children with mTBI had optimal functioning over 6 and 18-months post-injury compared to those with OI and TDC. Higher parent-child interaction quality and lower child negative affectivity temperament independently predicted optimal functioning.

Children who sustain early mTBI are less likely to exhibit optimal functioning than their peers in the long-term. Parent-child interaction quality could be a potential intervention target for promoting optimal function.

This study examined the validity of a visual inspection time (IT) task as a measure of processing speed (PS) in a sample of children with and without cerebral palsy (CP). IT tasks measure visualization speed without focusing on the motor response time to indicate decision making about the properties of those stimuli.

Participants were 113 children ages 8–16, including 45 with congenital CP, and 68 typically developing peers. Measures were a standard visual IT task that required dual key responding and a modified version using an assistive technology button with response option scanning. Performance on these measures was examined against traditional Wechsler PS measures (Coding, Symbol Search).

IT performance shared considerable variance with traditional paper-pencil PS measures for the group with CP, but not necessarily in the typically developing group. Concurrent validity was found for both IT task versions with traditional PS measures in the group with CP. IT classification accuracy for lowered PS showed modest sensitivity and good specificity particularly for the modified IT task.

As measures of PS in children with CP who are unable to validly participate in traditional PS tasks, IT tasks demonstrate adequate concurrent validity and may serve as a beneficial alternative measure of PS in this population.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often leads to cognitive impairments, particularly regarding working memory (WM). This meta-analysis aims to examine the impact of TBI on WM, taking into account moderating factors which has received little attention in previous research, such as severity of injury, the different domains of Baddeley’s multi-component model, and the interaction between these two factors, as well as the interaction with other domains of executive functions.

Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, a systematic review and meta-analysis searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and PsycNET for studies with objective WM measures. Multiple meta-analyses were performed to compare the effects of TBI severity on different WM components. Twenty-four English, peer-reviewed articles, mostly cross-sectional were included.

TBI significantly impairs general WM and all Baddeley’s model components, most notably the Central Executive (d’ = 0.74). Severity categories, mild-moderate and moderate-severe, were identified. Impairment was found across severities, with “moderate-severe” demonstrating the largest effect size (d’ = 0.81). Individuals with moderate-severe TBI showed greater impairments in the Central Executive and Episodic Buffer compared to those with mild-moderate injury, whereas no such differences were found for the Phonological Loop and Visuospatial Sketchpad.

These findings enhance our understanding of WM deficits in varying severities of TBI, highlighting the importance of assessing and treating WM in clinical practice and intervention planning.

The present study characterized heterogeneity in the cognitive profiles of monolingual and bilingual Latino older adults enrolled in the HABS-HD.

A total of 859 cognitively unimpaired older adults completed neuropsychological testing. Raw scores for cognitive tests were converted to z-scores adjusted for age, education, sex, and language of testing. A latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted for monolingual and bilingual speaker groups. A series of 2–5 class solutions were examined, and the optimal model was selected based on fit indices, posterior probabilities, proportion of sample sizes, and pattern of scores. Identified classes were compared on sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health characteristics.

For the monolingual group (n = 365), a 3-class solution was optimal; this consisted of a Low Average Memory group with low average verbal memory performances on the SEVLT Total Learning and Delayed Recall trials, as well as an Average Cognition group and a High Average Cognition group. For the bilingual group (n = 494), a 3-class solution was observed to be optimal; this consisted of a Low Average Memory group, with low average verbal memory performances on the learning and delayed recall trials of Logical Memory; a Low Average Executive group, where performance on Trails A and B and Digit Substitution were the lowest; and a High Average Cognition group, where performance was generally in the high average range across most cognitive measures.

Cognitive class solutions differed across monolingual and bilingual groups and illustrate the need to better understand cognitive variability in linguistically diverse samples of Latino older adults.

Neuropsychological assessment through VideoTeleConferencing (VTC) can help improve access to diagnostic and follow-up care in memory clinics. This study investigated the stability of performance on VTC assessment in relation to in-person assessment using a test-retest design and explored user experiences of VTC assessment.

Thirty-one patients (62 ± 6.7 years, 45% female, 58% Subjective Cognitive Decline, 42% Mild Cognitive Impairment/dementia diagnosis) were included from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort between August 2020 and February 2021. Patients underwent a face-to-face neuropsychological assessment followed by a VTC assessment using the same test protocol within 4 months. Reliability coefficients were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). For each test, the proportion of clinically relevant differences in performances between assessment modalities was calculated. User experiences of patients and neuropsychologists were assessed with questionnaires (User Satisfaction and Ease of use [USE] questionnaire and System Usability Scale [SUS]). Neuropsychologists also participated in a focus group.

ICC values were moderate to excellent (0.63-0.93) for all test measures in the total sample. On all tests, most patients did not show clinically relevant performance differences between modalities. Patients and neuropsychologists reported overall positive VTC system usability, although neuropsychologists indicated in the focus group that patients without cognitive impairment required less training for the system and were more independent.

VTC assessment showed adequate to excellent test-retest reliability for a broad range of neuropsychological tests commonly used in practice. Assessment through VTC may be a user friendly method in the memory clinic, especially to monitor individuals at risk for future cognitive decline.

Adult patients with the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) frequently report social difficulties. To date, however, only two studies have explored whether these difficulties are caused by social cognition deficits, and these yielded contradictory data. The aim of the present study was to exhaustively assess social cognition abilities (emotion, theory of mind, moral reasoning, and social information processing) in adults with NF1, compared with a control group, and to explore links between social cognition and disease characteristics (mode of inheritance, severity, and visibility).

We administered a social cognition battery to 20 adults with NF1 (mean age = 26.5 years, SD = 7.4) and 20 healthy adults matched for sociodemographic variables.

Patients scored significantly lower than controls on emotion, theory of mind, moral reasoning, and social information processing tasks. No effects of disease characteristics were found.

These results appear to confirm that adults with NF1 have a social cognition weaknesses that could explain, at least in part, their social difficulties, although social abilities are not all impaired to the same extent. Regarding the impact of the disease characteristics, the patient sample seemed slightly insufficient for the power analyses performed. Thus, this exploratory study should form the basis of further research, with the objective of replicating these results with larger and more appropriately matched samples.