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Publications

Journal Article Ahead of print

PubMed: 41350737 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-025-01908-2

International consensus for the assessment of social cognition in neurocognitive disorders: framework definition and clinical recommendations of the SIGNATURE initiative.

Alzheimers Res Ther

Authors: Alessandra Dodich, Andrea Panzavolta, Giulia Funghi, Claudia Meli, Cristina Festari, Thanos Chatzikostopoulos, Christian Chicherio, Florencia Clarens, Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira, Marco Filardi, Agustin Ibanez, Laura Invernizzi, Thibaud Lebouvier, Giancarlo Logroscino, Sarah E MacPherson, Riccardo Manca, Camillo Marra, Jordi A Matias-Guiu, Maxime Montembeault, Costanza Papagno, Simone Pomati, Mario Possenti, Olivier Piguet, Leonardo Sacco, Ann-Katrin Schild, Marc Sollberger, Miguel Tábuas-Pereira, Marianna Tsatali, Magda Tsolaki, Esther van den Berg, Stefano F Cappa, Maxime Bertoux, Fiona Kumfor, Jan Van den Stock, Marina Boccardi, Kathleen Anne Welsh-Bohmer, Chiara Cerami, Federica Agosta, Elisa Canu, Ove Almkvist, Goran Hagman, Bengt Winblad, Daniele Altomare, Davide Angioni, Jean-Marie Annoni, Luca Beretta, Manfred Berres, Valentina Bessi, Ingo Fimm, Ingo Kilimann … and 93 other authors

Affiliations

  • Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
  • IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
  • Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
  • Laboratory of Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
  • Greek Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Thessaloniki, Greece.
  • Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Memory and Aging Center, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
  • University for Foreigners of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
  • Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile.
  • Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
  • Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, 34815, Istanbul, Türkiye.
  • Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, 08005, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Italian Frontotemporal Dementia Association, AIMFT, Brescia, Italy.
  • Université de Lille, Inserm, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France.
  • Università Degli Studi Di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
  • Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
  • Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
  • Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
  • Department of Psychology - Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
  • Department of Neurology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos. San Carlos Health Research Institute (IdISSC), Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
  • Douglas Research Centre & Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
  • Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy.
  • Federazione Alzheimer Italia, Milan, Italy.
  • School of Psychology and Brain & Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
  • Neuropsychological and Speech Therapy Unit, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland.
  • Universitätsklinikum Köln, Cologne, Germany.
  • Memory Clinic, University Department of Geriatric Medicine FELIX PLATTER, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Memory Clinic, Neurology Department, Centro Hospitalar E Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
  • Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
  • Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center Erasmus MC, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
  • Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Inserm U1172, Univ Lille, CHU Lille, France.
  • School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
  • Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
  • German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock-Greifswald Site, Rostock, Germany.
  • Centre of Competence On Ageing, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland.
  • Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Rostock, 18147, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, Rostock, Germany.
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
  • Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Brain e-Health Aging Laboratory, Department of Neurorehabilitation, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Socio-cognitive assessment in neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) is rare in clinical practice and no consensus exists as to a uniform operationalization of socio-cognitive measures for NCDs in memory clinics. The SIGNATURE initiative aims to optimize the use of socio-cognitive measures in memory clinics, defining expert recommendations. We report consortium guidelines for the use of socio-cognitive measures in NCDs based on available evidence from the literature and the current state of practices in memory clinics.

METHODS

Using a Delphi consensus method supported by a literature review and the results of an international survey, 22 specialists defined recommendations for the context of use, relevance in NCD diagnosis, priorities for future research and facilitators/obstacles of socio-cognitive assessment in major and mild NCDs.

RESULTS

Overall, panelists recommended social cognition testing in routine diagnostic assessment to evaluate both socio-cognitive and socio-behavioral alterations. A set of clinical, methodological, implementation and external factors facilitating or hampering the use of socio-cognitive tasks was identified.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first focused endeavor to favor the implementation of socio-cognitive assessment, which is required by DSM-5 but seldom performed despite clear evidence of its clinical relevance for diagnosis and care. Our results provide an initial set of recommendations, refinable through the future actions of the SIGNATURE initiative. Future collaborative clinical research projects should overcome current limitations and foster the use of ecological and cross-culturally validated measures in clinics.

MeSH

Alzheimer Disease, Neurocognitive Disorders, Social Cognition, Diagnosis, Research, Memory, Cognition