Social cognitive impact of essential tremor
Abstract Though classified as a movement disorder, essential tremor (ET) goes along with minor cognitive change. This mainly refers to executive functions, thought to be of paramount importance for social cognition, particularly cognitive theory of mind (ToM). Therefore, different ToM and executive...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08402-7 |
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| author | Sarah Melchert Oliver L. Steiner Christin Kupper Hannah Lochmann Michelle Wyrobnik Fabian Klostermann |
| author_facet | Sarah Melchert Oliver L. Steiner Christin Kupper Hannah Lochmann Michelle Wyrobnik Fabian Klostermann |
| author_sort | Sarah Melchert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Though classified as a movement disorder, essential tremor (ET) goes along with minor cognitive change. This mainly refers to executive functions, thought to be of paramount importance for social cognition, particularly cognitive theory of mind (ToM). Therefore, different ToM and executive tasks were assessed in persons with versus without essential tremor. 21 non-demented patients with essential tremor and 29 healthy controls underwent cognitive screening, different tasks addressing executive functions, and the faux pas recognition test (FPRT) as well as the reading the mind in the eye test (RMET), focusing on cognitive and affective ToM, respectively. Patients performed significantly worse than controls in the verbal fluency and the digit span tests as well as in the FPRT. No significant group differences were identified with respect to RMET performance. The results are compatible with the idea that persons with ET develop subtle cognitive ToM deficits in the context of executive dysfunction. This extends descriptions of the non-motor impact of ET by deficits in social cognition and raises the question whether potential cognitive change of affected patients is sufficiently acknowledged in clinical routine. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a5a5a1bfac624d2e9955627872113156 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-a5a5a1bfac624d2e99556278721131562025-08-20T03:03:36ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-011511810.1038/s41598-025-08402-7Social cognitive impact of essential tremorSarah Melchert0Oliver L. Steiner1Christin Kupper2Hannah Lochmann3Michelle Wyrobnik4Fabian Klostermann5Motor and Cognition Group, Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF)Motor and Cognition Group, Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF)Motor and Cognition Group, Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF)Motor and Cognition Group, Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF)Motor and Cognition Group, Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF)Motor and Cognition Group, Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF)Abstract Though classified as a movement disorder, essential tremor (ET) goes along with minor cognitive change. This mainly refers to executive functions, thought to be of paramount importance for social cognition, particularly cognitive theory of mind (ToM). Therefore, different ToM and executive tasks were assessed in persons with versus without essential tremor. 21 non-demented patients with essential tremor and 29 healthy controls underwent cognitive screening, different tasks addressing executive functions, and the faux pas recognition test (FPRT) as well as the reading the mind in the eye test (RMET), focusing on cognitive and affective ToM, respectively. Patients performed significantly worse than controls in the verbal fluency and the digit span tests as well as in the FPRT. No significant group differences were identified with respect to RMET performance. The results are compatible with the idea that persons with ET develop subtle cognitive ToM deficits in the context of executive dysfunction. This extends descriptions of the non-motor impact of ET by deficits in social cognition and raises the question whether potential cognitive change of affected patients is sufficiently acknowledged in clinical routine.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08402-7 |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Melchert Oliver L. Steiner Christin Kupper Hannah Lochmann Michelle Wyrobnik Fabian Klostermann Social cognitive impact of essential tremor Scientific Reports |
| title | Social cognitive impact of essential tremor |
| title_full | Social cognitive impact of essential tremor |
| title_fullStr | Social cognitive impact of essential tremor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social cognitive impact of essential tremor |
| title_short | Social cognitive impact of essential tremor |
| title_sort | social cognitive impact of essential tremor |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08402-7 |
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