The impact of normal human aging and parkinson's disease on theory of mind
Date
1997
Authors
Saltzman, Jennifer Lesley
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Abstract
Although the majority of research in theory of mind (TOM) has focused on young children or individuals with autism, recent investigations have looked at TOM throughout the lifespan and in other neurologic and psychiatric populations. The proposed common connection between these groups is some degree of frontal dysfunction, often detected by measures of"executive function". This study investigated the effects of both normal human aging and Parkinson's disease on TOM. The relationship of TOM performance to measures of"executive function" and social decentering was also examined. The results suggested that a decline in TOM ability occurs with normal human aging and that this decline is magnified by the onset of Parkinson's disease. TOM performance was related to executive function. The implications for our understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying TOM as well as the impairments of Parkinson's disease are discussed.