Brain Networks Supporting Social Cognition in Dementia

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review examines the literature during the past 5  years (2015–2020) as it describes the contribution of three key intrinsically connected networks (ICN) to the social cognition changes that occur in various dementia syndromes.Recent FindingsThe salience network (SN) is selectively vulnerable in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and underpins changes in socioemotional sensitivity, attention, and engagement, with specific symptoms resulting from altered connectivity with the insula, amygdala, and medial pulvinar of the thalamus. Personalized hedonic evaluations of social and emotional experiences and concepts are made via the anterior temporofrontal semantic appraisal network (SAN), selectively vulnerable in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA). Recent research supports this network ’s role in engendering empathic accuracy by providing precision to socioemotional concepts via hedonic tuning. The default mode network (DMN), focally affected in Alzheimer’s disease syndrome (AD), supports social cognition by providing context from learned experiences to generate more accurate inferences about others’ thoughts, emotions, and intentions.SummaryThe focal breakdown of these normal canonical intrinsically connected brain networks during neurodegeneration sheds light on disease processes as well as on important mechanisms involved in healthy socioemotional functioning, thus contributing important insights to the la...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research