ABSTRACT
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in numerous cognitive, behavioural and affective sequelae. Impairments in memory, attention and executive functioning are usually reported in this pathology. Moreover, some studies indicate that social cognition, which allows us to recognize someone else’s emotion and to infer his mental state, might be impaired too. Nevertheless, the assessment and rehabilitation of this domain is far from consistent, and these impairments are usually under-estimated. In this work, we investigated the potential benefit of new assessment tools, based on a dynamic presentation of stimuli, compared to the classic existing tools based on a static presentation. Seven TBI patients and 14 matched controls were proposed several social cognition tests of emotion recognition and theory of mind in both modalities (static and dynamic). TBI patients exhibited impairments in all tests of social cognition. However, modalities of presentation didn’t seem to impact their performances. We discuss the link with behavioural disorders. Subsequent research is needed in order to clarify the ways in which social cognition may dysfunction, and to create some sensitive tools to impairments in everyday life of TBI patients.
Key words : traumatic brain injury ; social cognition ; theory of mind ; emotion recognition ; dynamic ; behaviour.
INTRODUCTION
Everyday, we are constantly led to interact with others. Living in society requires to articulate, to listen and to communicate. In order to exchange in the most optimal way, it is important to understand what this other gives you, or shares. It is necessary to assimilate both what is said and how it is expressed.
Thus, emotional recognition appears to play an essential role in interpersonal relationships. The ability to interpret and make sense of emotions in the environment enables individuals to anticipate some intentions or situations in order to respond appropriately. However, there are often struggles in recognizing emotions after a head injury. In fact, some of the most important brain structures for emotion treatment are frequently affected for people who had a TBI at the frontal, temporal and/or limbal areas.
In addition, this recognition of emotional prosody has been linked to specific cognitive functions. This would include inhibition, working memory and mental flexibility that would be linked to the recognition of emotional prosody. However, these links have yet to be determined.
No longer being able to properly recognize emotions can lead to interpersonal problems, triggering emotional and social consequences for the person with TBI. Thus, further investigations of the recognition of voice evoked emotions following a TBI could help in the development of specific management focused on there cognition of emotions in people who have undergone a TBI, and consequently, optimize their participation and social intergration.
First, we present data from the literature on emotion prosody, and the characteristics of patients with TBI, as well as the relationships between the two. We also investigate whether links can be made between inhibition and working memory abilities with the cognitions of emotion prosody.
Words I have learned :
- Numerous : nombreux
- Struggle : être en difficulté
- In addition : de plus / par ailleurs
- Whether : si
- Properly : correctement
BRUNET Léa
Master 2 PPCECC