Comprehensive comparison of social cognitive performance in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia

Pinkham, Amy E.; Morrison, Kerrianne E.; Penn, David L.; Harvey, Philip D.; Kelsven, Skylar; Ludwig, Kelsey; Sasson, Noah J.

doi:10.1017/s0033291719002708

Cited by 75 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Inconsistencies in prior findings have been posited to be due to the utilization of different social cognition tasks across studies (55,58), which also likely measure other aspects of social cognition compared to the task used in our current study. Only two studies have examined social cognition performance in ASD and psychosis using the TASIT, with both finding no significant differences between these clinical groups on TASIT performance consistent with our current findings (54,56).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Social Cognition in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Idiopathic Developmental Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Jalal

Nair

Lin

et al. 2020

Preprint

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KEYWORDS 2 22q11.2 deletion, social cognition, neurocognition, psychosis, autism spectrum disorder 3 Abstract Background 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities.Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior. MethodsWe examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 306 participants (mean age = 16.63+/-4.59; % female = 44.8%): sixty-eight with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 117 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS).Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2 nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning. ResultsThe 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to all other groups, even after controlling for intellectual functioning. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT, and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. ConclusionsOur findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. the most common recurrent contiguous gene deletion syndrome, estimated to occur in about 1 in 4000 live births (2). It typically results from a de novo deletion, although 10% of cases are familial (3,4). 22q11DS is associated with a range of developmental anomalies (5). The most frequently associated medical comorbidities include congenital heart defects, facial dysmorphology such as palatal defects, immunodeficiency, velopharyngeal insufficiency, and hypocalcemia (2, 6).Individuals with 22q11DS often present with developmental delays, as well as broad cognitive impairment (6). In most individuals with 22q11DS, Full Scale IQ falls within the borderline to low average range (M = 72.41, SD = ± 13.72; 7). A range of associated cognitive deficits have also been noted in individuals with 22q11...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Social Cognition in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Idiopathic Developmental Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Jalal

Nair

Lin

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…These results were however limited by a significant heterogeneity in the tasks employed in the individual studies and by the small sample sizes. A more recent study has therefore performed a comprehensive evaluation of SC performance in large samples of adult subjects with schizophrenia, ASD and typical development, confirming that the level of impairment is very similar between the two disorders, with small differences that become non-significant when the analyses are controlled for symptoms severity (52). These results could suggest that interventions which have shown effectiveness in improving SC performance in one condition could lead to positive results if adopted in the other.…”

Section: Social Cognition: a Bridge Between Schizophrenia And Autism mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Although on a clinical level SC deficits in SSD and ASD appear to largely superimposable, suggesting that interventions that are effective in one spectrum could also be adopted in the other (52), further exploring the commonalities and the potential differences on a neurobiological level could provide additional confirmations to this hypothesis, but also lead to the development of specific and targeted treatments. Moreover, investigating with neuroimaging tools subjects diagnosed with SSD and showing prominent ASD features (39), and those diagnosed with ASD with relevant psychotic symptoms (42,43), and evaluating if the neuroanatomical and neurofunctional profile of these individuals represents an intermediate phenotype or not, could provide further insight and represent an interesting perspective for future studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Cognition in a Research Domain Criteria Perspective: A Bridge Between Schizophrenia and Autism Spectra Disorders

et al. 2020

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Schizophrenia and autism spectra disorders are currently conceptualized as distinct clinical categories. However, the relationship between these two nosological entities has been revisited in recent years due to the evidence that they share some important clinical and neurobiological features, putting into question the nature and the extent of their commonalities and differences. In this respect, some core symptoms that are present in both disorders, such as social cognitive deficits, could be a primary target of investigation. This review briefly summarizes the commonalities and overlapping features between schizophrenia and autism spectra disorders in social cognitive functions, considering this construct in a Research Domain Criteria perspective. The clinical manifestation of deficits in social cognition are similar in schizophrenia spectrum disorders and autism spectrum disorders, and brain areas that appear to be altered in relation to these impairments are largely shared; however, the results of various studies suggest that, in some cases, the qualitative nature of these alterations may be different in the two spectra. Moreover, relevant differences could be present at the level of brain networks and connections. More research is required in this field, regarding molecular and genetic aspects of both spectra, to better define the neurobiological mechanisms involved in social cognition deficits, with the objective of developing specific and targeted treatments.

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“…Such studies have provided further evidence that autistic and psychotic traits co-occur at an elevated behavioral level in clinical samples (Barneveld et al, 2011;De Crescenzo et al, 2019;Esterberg, Trotman, Brasfield, Compton, & Walker, 2008;Fagel et al, 2013;Kincaid et al, 2017;Ziermans, Swaab, Stockmann, de Bruin, & van Rijn, 2017). From a cognitive and functional perspective, it is also well established that both ASD and PD are characterized by (partially) overlapping impairments compared to typical healthy comparisons, particularly in the social domain (Martinez et al, 2017;Pinkham et al, 2019;Sasson et al, 2007Sasson et al, , 2011Sasson et al, , 2016Velthorst et al, 2018). However, it is currently unclear whether the presence of comorbid autistic and psychotic traits has a detrimental effect on the outcome.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autistic traits in psychotic disorders: prevalence, familial risk, and impact on social functioning

et al. 2020

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Background. Prevalence estimates of autistic traits in individuals with psychotic disorders (PD) vary greatly and it is unclear whether individuals with a familial risk (FR) for psychosis have an increased propensity to display autistic traits. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the presence of comorbid autism traits disproportionally affects the cognitive and behavioral aspects of social functioning in PD. Methods. In total, 504 individuals with PD, 587 unaffected siblings with FR, and 337 typical comparison (TC) individuals (16-50 years) were included. Autistic and psychotic traits were measured with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE). Social cognition was assessed with the Picture Sequencing Task (PST) and social behavior with the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). Results. For PD 6.5% scored above AQ clinical cut-off (⩾32), 1.0% for FR, and 1.2% for TC. After accounting for age, sex, and IQ, the PD group showed significantly more autistic traits and alterations in social behavior and cognition, while FR and TC only displayed marginal differences. Within the PD group autistic traits were a robust predictor of social behavior and there were no interactions with positive psychotic symptoms. Conclusions. Levels of autistic traits are substantially elevated in PD and have a profoundly negative association with social functioning. In contrast, autistic traits above the clinical cutoff are not elevated in those with FR, and only marginally on a dimensional level. These findings warrant specific clinical guidelines for psychotic patients who present themselves with autistic comorbidity to help address their social needs.

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Comprehensive comparison of social cognitive performance in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia

Cited by 75 publications

References 52 publications

Social Cognition in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Idiopathic Developmental Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Social Cognition in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Idiopathic Developmental Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Social Cognition in a Research Domain Criteria Perspective: A Bridge Between Schizophrenia and Autism Spectra Disorders

Autistic traits in psychotic disorders: prevalence, familial risk, and impact on social functioning

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