Genetic contribution to ‘theory of mind’ in adolescence

Abstract

Difficulties in 'theory of mind' (the ability to attribute mental states to oneself or others, and to make predictions about another's behaviour based on these attributions) have been observed in several psychiatric conditions. We investigate the genetic architecture of theory of mind in 4,577 13-year-olds who completed the Emotional Triangles Task (Triangles Task), a first-order test of theory of mind. We observe a small but significant female-advantage on the Triangles Task (Cohen's d = 0.19, P < 0.01), in keeping with previous work using other tests of theory of mind. Genome-wide association analyses did not identify any significant loci, and SNP heritability was small and non-significant. Polygenic scores for six psychiatric conditions (ADHD, anorexia, autism, bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia), and empathy were not associated with scores on the Triangles Task.However, polygenic scores of cognitive aptitude, and cognitive empathy, a term synonymous with theory of mind and measured using the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test, were significantly associated with scores on the Triangles Task at multiple P-value thresholds, suggesting shared genetics between different measures of theory of mind and cognition.

Exploring the social cognition network in young adults with autism spectrum disorder using graph analysis

“…First, we showed that our individuals with ASD show differences in the SC measures (Eyes Task, BES, EQ, and A‐ToM Task) used in this study, compared to TD individuals. This result is in line with the more recent literature (Mazza et al, ; Warrier & Baron‐Cohen, ), and it confirms that SC difficulties are a central feature in ASD individuals. For this reason, it has become important to understand how these abilities interact.…”

“…We built two separate networks of SC components, one for ASD and one for TD, in order to map the interacting associations among the components that characterize this construct. Indeed, the SC construct can be defined as a complex network in which interacting components, such as ToM, emotion processing, empathy, self‐processing, and social identity, influence each other (Happé & Frith, ; Warrier & Baron‐Cohen, ). Individuals with ASD are characterized by a delay in the development of SC competencies (Mazza et al, ; Pino et al, , ).…”

“…Individuals with ASD are characterized by a delay in the development of SC competencies (Mazza et al, ; Pino et al, , ). Consequently, they have difficulty in socializing both with other people and in different social situations (Mazza et al, ; Warrier & Baron‐Cohen, ); social impairment negatively affects their interpersonal relationships. Happé and Frith () suggest that SC can be understood as a complex network diagram.…”

“…A fundamental component of SC is the Theory of Mind (ToM): The ability to attribute mental (cognitive ToM) and emotional (affective ToM) states to oneself and others, and to use these attributions to make sense of and predict behavior (Baron‐Cohen et al, ; Mazza et al, ; Warrier & Baron‐Cohen, ). We know that during the early months of their lives, individuals with ASD already display impairment of the SC precursors (e.g., emotion processing, sensitivity to ostensive signals, and joint attention, among others (Happé & Frith, ; Warrier & Baron‐Cohen, )). According to recent literature (Mazza et al, ; Pino et al, , ), individuals with ASD are characterized by a delay in the development of SC capacities rather than a total lack of these complex domains/constructs.…”

Genome-wide association study of emotional empathy in children

“…The leading SNP and the other 21 SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium with it are near LRRN1, which is highly expressed in brain tissue 17 . In a separate study, Warrier and Baron-Cohen 18 also investigated the genetics of cognitive empathy using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a prospective birth cohort study (ALSPAC, see below). Among teenagers, no GWA significant signal was identified, and SNP-based heritability was negligible (0.13%, p = 0.16).…”