About this Research Topic

Background

“The human is a social animal” (Aristotle, 4th century BC). Our history, from the early beginning, is intrinsically linked to the need for sociality, which has undoubtedly shaped and conditioned the evolution of our species. But what exactly is social cognition? The term “social cognition” refers to all kinds of cognitive processes that can allow us to interact with others and understand the intentions, feelings, emotions, and behaviors of other people. It is therefore evident the importance of the correct functioning of these cognitive skills to allow an individual to live and coexist with others.



Unfortunately, in some specific clinical conditions, the processes of social cognition are affected due to the pathology. This is the case, for example, of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The concept of MCI was introduced to characterize older people with mild cognitive deficits, considered to be at high risk of progressing to true dementia. Therefore, an MCI syndrome corresponds to the onset of mental disturbances reported by the patients or the families without significant repercussions on daily life and overt dementia. On the other hand, ADHD is a disorder of childhood that often persists into adulthood. Adults with ADHD suffer from a dysexecutive disorder, characterized by poor organizational and planning skills, and attentional difficulties, such as a high level of distractibility, impulsiveness, and restlessness.



So far, little is known about the functioning of the social brain in ADHD, in particular in adults affected by ADHD, or MCI. But it is certainly known that the ability to recognize facial and vocal emotions could be impaired in ADHD, as well as it is well-known that recognition of emotional facial expressions and Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities could be impaired in MCI patients. It, therefore, becomes of crucial importance to better explore the nature of these dysfunctions, to conceive a targeted therapeutic process focused on increasing social skills. The aim is to improve the quality of life. From this perspective, the efficacy of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) in the treatment of different psychiatric and neurological disorders, has become a very promising subject of study. Furthermore, also digital health interventions, mainly based on the training of social skills via Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), would seem to be a really interesting new way to go. Finally, of fundamental importance is the research on family interventions too.



We are interested in the submission of original articles about new neuropsychological tests for social cognition used in clinical practice for adults affected by ADHD and MCI. We will appreciate tests validated in the normal population. The confrontation with the neuroimaging or the application of neurostimulation is an important aim of these researches. Studies that try to improve the knowledge of the circuits of the social cognition deficits will be taken into primary consideration. Likewise, the description of exemplary clinical cases can make an important contribution as well as the description of therapeutic experiences on small groups of patients. Narrative reviews are also accepted if there is a precise topic of interest.

Keywords: MCI / adult ADHD / social cognition / social brain / social functioning / social behavior / social skills / theory of mind / emotions recognition / emotional facial expressions recognition / TMS / functional MRI

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