Affiliations: [a] Laboratoire SCALab UMR CNRS 9193- University of Lille Nord de France, France | [b] Epsylon Laboratory, EA 4556, University Montpellier III, Montpellier, France | [c] University Department of Adult Psychiatry, CHRU Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Mohamad El Haj, Laboratoire SCALab UMR CNRS 9193- University of Lille Nord de France, Domaine du Pont de Bois, 59653 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France. mohamad.elhaj@univ-lille3.fr
Abstract: Destination memory, or the ability to remember the destination to whom a piece of information was addressed, is found to be compromised in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our paper investigated the relationship between destination memory and theory of mind in AD since both destination memory and theory of mind are social abilities that require processing attributes of interlocutors. Mild AD participants and controls were administered tasks tapping destination memory, affective theory of mind, and 1st and 2nd order cognitive theory of mind. Relative to controls, AD participants showed compromise in destination memory and 2nd order cognitive theory of mind, but preserved performance on affective and 1st order cognitive theory of mind. Significant correlations were observed between destination memory, and 1st and 2nd order cognitive theory of mind in AD participants and controls. By demonstrating a relationship between compromises in 2nd order theory of mind and in destination memory, our work highlights links between social cognition and memory functioning in AD.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, destination memory, episodic memory, social cognition, theory of mind
