Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40145360›Full record

SynthesisAlzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association2025

Social cognition in mild cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Puyu Shi, Hannah Chapman, Lisa Liu, Fern Rodgers, Jasmine Shaw, Gill Livingston, Katherine P Rankin, Jason D Warren, Andrew Sommerlad

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Social cognition in mild cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Theory of Mind Deficits and Awareness in Alzheimer's Disease.Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Perception of facial trustworthiness in mild cognitive impairment.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Fourteen years later: Reviewing the diagnostic criteria for behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Article
  16. Social cognitive function in stroke survivors: A scoping review.Cerebral circulation - cognition and behavior · 2025
    Review
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

9 authors.

Puyu ShiDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Hannah ChapmanCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Lisa LiuDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Fern RodgersDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Jasmine ShawDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Gill LivingstonDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Katherine P RankinDepartment of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Jason D WarrenDementia Research Centre, University College London, London, UK.
Andrew SommerladDivision of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.

Funding

Alzheimer's Association and Brain Canada ARCOM-22-875327Alzheimer's Research UKAlzheimer's SocietyFrontotemporal Dementia Research Studentship in Memory of David BlechnerNational Brain AppealNational Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre,NIHR PGfAR NIHR202345NIHR PGfAR NIHR203670NIHR Senior Investigator NIHR201321North Thames NIHR Applied Research Collaboration ID1861414Norwegian Research Council ES637280Royal National Institute for Deaf PeopleUCL Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research CentreUniversity College London Hospitals National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research CentreWellcome 00222932/Z/21/ZWellcome UNS114095Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 222932/Z/21/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Social cognition is impaired in people with dementia but the differences in social cognitive impairment between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia and its subtypes remain unclear. We therefore aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze differences in emotion recognition, theory of mind (ToM), and empathy between individuals with MCI and dementia. Across 28 cross-sectional studies (n = 2409), people with MCI had better emotion recognition (Cohen's d = 0.69) and ToM (d = 0.70) than individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia, and larger effect sizes were observed for people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (emotion recognition (d = 2.09), ToM (d = 1.49), but emotional empathy was higher in AD than in MCI in included studies. Our findings suggest a progressive decline of aspects of social cognition across the MCI-dementia continuum. Longitudinal studies should investigate the diagnostic role of social cognition deficits in MCI progression to dementia, and interventions for social cognition in MCI should be developed and tested. HIGHLIGHTS: First systematic review and meta-analysis comparing social cognition between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia subtypes. Findings from 28 studies with 2409 participants show people with MCI outperform those with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in emotion recognition and theory of mind. Empathy appears intact in AD dementia, suggesting that this cognitive domain is preserved throughout disease progression. Evaluation of social cognition should be built into dementia assessment as it may hold diagnostic value.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionDementiaSocial CognitionTheory of MindAlzheimer DiseaseEmotionsEmpathyFrontotemporal DementiaHumansAlzheimer's diseasedementiafrontotemporal dementiamild cognitive impairmentsocial cognition

Identifiers

PMID40145360
PMCPMC11947743

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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.