TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuroanatomical markers of social cognition in neglected adolescents
AU - Trujillo-Llano, Catalina
AU - Sainz-Ballesteros, Agustín
AU - Suarez-Ardila, Fabián
AU - Gonzalez-Gadea, María Luz
AU - Ibáñez, Agustín
AU - Herrera, Eduar
AU - Baez, Sandra
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - Growing up in neglectful households can impact multiple aspects of social cognition. However, research on neglect's effects on social cognition processes and their neuroanatomical correlates during adolescence is scarce. Here, we aimed to comprehensively assess social cognition processes (recognition of basic and contextual emotions, theory of mind, the experience of envy and Schadenfreude and empathy for pain) and their structural brain correlates in adolescents with legal neglect records within family-based care. First, we compared neglected adolescents (n = 27) with control participants (n = 25) on context-sensitive social cognition tasks while controlling for physical and emotional abuse and executive and intellectual functioning. Additionally, we explored the grey matter correlates of these domains through voxel-based morphometry. Compared to controls, neglected adolescents exhibited lower performance in contextual emotional recognition and theory of mind, higher levels of envy and Schadenfreude and diminished empathy. Physical and emotional abuse and executive or intellectual functioning did not explain these effects. Moreover, social cognition scores correlated with brain volumes in regions subserving social cognition and emotional processing. Our results underscore the potential impact of neglect on different aspects of social cognition during adolescence, emphasizing the necessity for preventive and intervention strategies to address these deficits in this population.
AB - Growing up in neglectful households can impact multiple aspects of social cognition. However, research on neglect's effects on social cognition processes and their neuroanatomical correlates during adolescence is scarce. Here, we aimed to comprehensively assess social cognition processes (recognition of basic and contextual emotions, theory of mind, the experience of envy and Schadenfreude and empathy for pain) and their structural brain correlates in adolescents with legal neglect records within family-based care. First, we compared neglected adolescents (n = 27) with control participants (n = 25) on context-sensitive social cognition tasks while controlling for physical and emotional abuse and executive and intellectual functioning. Additionally, we explored the grey matter correlates of these domains through voxel-based morphometry. Compared to controls, neglected adolescents exhibited lower performance in contextual emotional recognition and theory of mind, higher levels of envy and Schadenfreude and diminished empathy. Physical and emotional abuse and executive or intellectual functioning did not explain these effects. Moreover, social cognition scores correlated with brain volumes in regions subserving social cognition and emotional processing. Our results underscore the potential impact of neglect on different aspects of social cognition during adolescence, emphasizing the necessity for preventive and intervention strategies to address these deficits in this population.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Emotion recognition
KW - Empathy
KW - Neglect
KW - Social emotions
KW - Theory of mind
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85193292597&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100642
DO - 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100642
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85193292597
SN - 2352-2895
VL - 31
JO - Neurobiology of Stress
JF - Neurobiology of Stress
M1 - 100642
ER -