Social cognition in hyperkinetic movement disorders: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Numerous lines of research indicate that our social brain involves a network of cortical and subcortical brain regions that are responsible for sensing and controlling body movements. However, it remains unclear whether movement disorders have a systematic impact on social cognition. To address this question, we conducted a systematic review examining the influence of hyperkinetic movement disorders (including Huntington disease, Tourette syndrome, dystonia, and essential tremor) on social cognition. Following the PRISMA guidelines and registering the protocol in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022327459), we analyzed 50 published studies focusing on theory of mind (ToM), social perception, and empathy. The results from these studies provide evidence of impairments in ToM and social perception in all hyperkinetic movement disorders, particularly during the recognition of negative emotions. Additionally, individuals with Huntington’s Disease and Tourette syndrome exhibit empathy disorders. These findings support the functional role of subcortical structures (such as the basal ganglia and cerebellum), which are primarily responsible for movement disorders, in deficits related to social cognition.

KEYWORDS:

• hyperkinetic disorders
• theory of mind
• social perception
• emotion recognition
• empathy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2023.2248687

Additional information

Funding

Work supported by #NEXTGENERATIONEU (NGEU) and funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), project MNESYS (PE0000006)—A Multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system in health and disease (DN. 1553 11.10.2022). This work was also supported by FISM–Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla [2022/R-Single/071] and financed or co-financed with the ‘5 per mille’ public funding; and by grants from the Bial Foundation [304/2022] and [160/2018]; Universidad Católica Del Maule [CDPDS2022]; and Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna [1402bis/2021].