Differential Social Cognitive Performance in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Abstract

Objective

To study general and subdomain performance in measures of social cognition in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, and to explore associations between social cognitive and neuropsychological subdomains.

Design

Cross-sectional study of participants from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS).

Setting

Current data was collected in 2016–2018.

Participants

Community-dwelling older adults (n=321) aged 80 years and above, with no history of neurological or psychiatric conditions. Participants had dementia, MCI, or no cognitive impairment (NCI).

Measures

Social cognition was indexed using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index – Perspective Taking (IRI-PT) and Empathic Concern (IRI-EC) subscales, and the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT). These subdomain scores were used to make a composite social cognition score. Apathy was measured via the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES). Neurocognitive function was indexed using the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination v3 (ACE-3).

Results

Dementia was associated with poorer overall social cognitive composite performance. MCI and dementia participants performed poorer on RMET and recognition of anger, disgust and happiness on ERT. RMET and ERT disgust remained significant after controlling for relevant covariates. Dementia participants performed poorer than MCI and NCI on the IRI-PT, IRI-EC, and AES. AES remained significant after regression. RMET was correlated with ACE-3 Fluency and/or Language in all study groups.

Conclusions

MCI is associated with poorer scores in specific social cognitive assessments. Dementia is somewhat associated with poorer scores in informant-rated social cognition scales, though this is no longer significant after accounting for apathy.