Clinical Research Directory

Autosomal Dominant Spinocerebellar Ataxias and Social Cognition

Spinocerebellar ataxias are a group of rare neurodegenerative diseases, clinically and genetically highly heterogeneous, with an estimated mean prevalence of 2.7 per 100,000 population. The term "spinocerebellar ataxia" or "SCA" is often used for ataxias of genetic origin of autosomal dominant transmission, which are the subject of this study. Recent studies of social cognition in patients with genetic cerebellar pathologies, and autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia in particular, are still few and far between (around 15 studies), and seem to highlight impairment of basic emotion recognition and theory of mind skills. That said, data have very often been collected on very small samples of patients (sometimes in case study format). They also remain contradictory, including in the examination of the cerebellar anatomoclinical correlates of the deficits. Thus, the question arises as to whether patients with spinocerebellar ataxia also show impairments in emotion recognition and cognitive and affective theory of mind in more ecologically valid dynamic and interactive assessment situations.