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On the association between apathy and deficits of social cognition and executive functions in Huntington’s disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2022

Rebecca K. Hendel Open the ORCID record for Rebecca K. Hendel [Opens in a new window] ,
Marie N.N. Hellem Open the ORCID record for Marie N.N. Hellem [Opens in a new window] ,
Lena E. Hjermind ,
Jørgen E. Nielsen  and
Asmus Vogel Open the ORCID record for Asmus Vogel [Opens in a new window]
Rebecca K. Hendel*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Marie N.N. Hellem
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Lena E. Hjermind
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jørgen E. Nielsen
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Asmus Vogel
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Danish Dementia Research Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
*
Corresponding author: Rebecca K. Hendel, email: rebecca.thea.kjaergaard.hendel@regionh.dk
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Abstract

Objective:

To investigate if executive and social cognitive dysfunction was associated with apathy in a large cohort of Huntington’s disease gene expansion carriers.

Method:

Eighty premanifest and motor-manifest Huntington’s disease gene expansion carriers (Mini-Mental State Examination score ≥ 24 and Montreal Cognitive Assessment score ≥ 19) and thirty-two controls were examined with the Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS), a tailored and quantitative measure of apathy, and a comprehensive cognitive battery on executive functions and social cognition (emotion recognition, theory of mind and sarcasm detection), as well as general correlates like demographic variables, and neuropsychiatric and cognitive screening tests.

Results:

The motor-manifest Huntington’s disease gene expansion carriers had significantly different scores on most measures of social cognition and executive functions, compared to premanifest and control participants. Apathy was significantly correlated with most executive test scores, but the Emotion Hexagon was the only social cognitive test score significantly correlated with apathy. We found that the motor score and the depression score were the only significant predictors of the apathy score, when the social cognitive and executive tests with the strongest association with the global LARS score were entered into a multiple stepwise regression model. No cognitive test score could significantly predict apathy. The model explained 21 % of the total variance.

Conclusion:

Despite being significantly correlated with apathy neuropsychological variables did not have a significant impact on apathy when variables as depression and motor symptoms were taken into account. Apathy should be considered an independent symptom of Huntington’s disease that requires specific examination.

Keywords

apathyHuntington’s diseasesocial cognitionexecutive functionscognitive functionemotion recognition
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , May 2023 , pp. 369 - 376
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2022

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