Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27655736›Full record

SynthesisNeurology2016

Social cognition in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Jack Cotter, Joseph Firth, Christian Enzinger, Evangelos Kontopantelis, Alison R Yung, Rebecca Elliott, Richard J Drake

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
57citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

57 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Facial Emotion Recognition Ability May Improve in Alzheimer Disease: A Pilot Study.Cognitive and behavioral neurology : official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology · 2026
    Trial
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. The mediating role of processing speed on the relationship between executive functions and social cognition in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: from phenomenology to neurobiological mechanisms.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2024
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Is impairment of facial emotion recognition independent of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis?Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Emotional dyscontrol in multiple sclerosis: an opinion article.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2024
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jack CotterFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria. jack.cotter@manchester.ac.uk.
Joseph FirthFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Christian EnzingerFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Evangelos KontopantelisFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Alison R YungFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Rebecca ElliottFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Richard J DrakeFrom the Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health (J.C., J.F., A.R.Y., R.E., R.J.D.) and Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research (E.K.), University of Manchester, UK; and Research Unit for Neuronal Repair and Plasticity (C.E.), Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_PC_13042Medical Research Council MR/K006665/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo quantify the magnitude of deficits in theory of mind (ToM) and facial emotion recognition among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) relative to healthy controls.

methodsAn electronic database search of Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase was conducted from inception to April 1, 2016. Eligible studies were original research articles published in peer-reviewed journals that examined ToM or facial emotion recognition among patients with a diagnosis of MS and a healthy control comparison group. Data were independently extracted by 2 authors. Effect sizes were calculated using Hedges g.

resultsTwenty-one eligible studies were identified assessing ToM (12 studies) and/or facial emotion recognition (13 studies) among 722 patients with MS and 635 controls. Deficits in both ToM (g = -0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.88 to -0.55, p < 0.001) and facial emotion recognition (g = -0.64, 95% CI -0.81 to -0.47, p < 0.001) were identified among patients with MS relative to healthy controls. The largest deficits were observed for visual ToM tasks and for the recognition of negative facial emotional expressions. Older age predicted larger emotion recognition deficits. Other cognitive domains were inconsistently associated with social cognitive performance.

conclusionsSocial cognitive deficits are an overlooked but potentially important aspect of cognitive impairment in MS with potential prognostic significance for social functioning and quality of life. Further research is required to clarify the longitudinal course of social cognitive dysfunction, its association with MS disease characteristics and neurocognitive impairment, and the MS-specific neurologic damage underlying these deficits.

Indexed as

CognitionFacial RecognitionSocial PerceptionTheory of MindCognition DisordersHumansMultiple Sclerosis

Identifiers

PMID27655736
PMCPMC5085073

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.