Ergi KAYA, Seda Eroglu KOC, Seda Nur CALAR, Ihsan SENGUN, Emre BORA, Didem OZ
Turkish Journal of Neurology - 2026;32(2):173-179
Objectives: This study aimed to compare social cognition and apathy between patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) without dementia and healthy controls (HCs). Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study examined 17 patients (9 males, 8 females; median age: 58 years; range, 31 to 70 years) with ALS and 34 HCs (19 males, 15 females; median age: 58.5 years; range, 31 to 69 years) between February 2024 and February 2025. Data from the Beck Depression Inventory, the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale, reading the mind in the eyes test, and theory of mind (ToM) tests were collected. The results were compared with HCs. Results: There were no significant differences between groups in terms of age, education level, or sex ( p > 0.05). Affective ToM scores were comparable between groups ( p > 0.05). Patients with ALS exhibited lower median cognitive ToM scores than HCs (27 [7.5] vs. 30 [5], p = 0.035). The median total Dimensional Apathy Scale scores were higher in the ALS group than in the HC group (18 [11.5] vs. 12 [5.25], p = 0.001). The groups differed in the cognitive and emotional dimensions of apathy but not in the executive dimension. Conclusion: Lower cognitive ToM performance, higher initiation, and emotional apathy scores were observed at increased rates in patients with ALS without dementia.
