From clinical cases to clinical research: Neurocognition and social cognition in schizophrenia

Abstract

Introduction

Neurocognition and social cognition are the core deficits influencing social outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. These deficits are present in prodromal phase and throughout the illness, in first-degree relatives and are considered in the framework of neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative models.

Method

Four clinical cases with patients reflecting different cognitive profiles were chosen to demonstrate heterogeneity of cognitive biases and their influence on the social function en vivo. The patients have undergone a number of neurocognitive and social cognitive measures.

Results

In these four patients, we would like to highlight the dissociation of neurocognitive deficits, clinical manifestations and social functioning. Social cognitive measures revealed heterogeneity of biases in different domains. As a result of our observation, we can hypothesize that better social functioning was achieved by patients with better abilities to discriminate negative emotions and states of mind in others.

Conclusion

Despite certain limitations of case-report studies, it is hard not to point out heterogeneity and incoherence of social and neurocognition. We assume that intact domains of Processing of Emotions and Theory of Mind predispose to better social functioning, while it's hard to trace this connection to neurocognition. This result needs to be challenged on large samples in future research, concerning emotionality in Theory of Mind and capacity for empathy and its’ role in social functioning.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.