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Volume 3
Journal of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience
Neurology 2019 | Neuropsychology 2019 | Drug Delivery Summit 2019
June 24-25, 2019
June 24-25, 2019 | Rome, Italy
Neurology and Healthcare
3
rd
WorldDrug Delivery and Formulations Summit
Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
4
th
International Conference on
International Conference on
&
Social cognition impairments in women with breast cancer
Sandra Baez
1
, Mateo Bernal
1
, Daniela Gonzalez-Rodriguez
1
, Raúl Murillo
2
, Oriana Mayorca-Ojeda
2
, Lina Moreno
1
, Hernando
Santamaría-García
2,3
,
1
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
2
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia
3
Intellectus-Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Colombia. Physiology and Psychiatry, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia
Statement of the Problem:
Previous studies have reported basic cognition impairments in patients with breast cancer.
However, no studies have assessed social cognition abilities in patients with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to
assess social cognition abilities (i.e., basic emotion recognition, moral emotions recognition, theory of mind and empathy)
in women with breast cancer, compared to a control.
Methodology:
We also assessed basic cognition abilities as well as several socio-emotional factors (i.e., depression,
anxiety, quality of life). Sixteen women with breast cancer and sixteen healthy women matched by age and educational
level participated in this study. Women with breast cancer were in initial stages of hormonal or chemotherapy treatments.
Findings:
Results showed that women with breast cancer exhibited a lower performance than controls in moral emotions
recognition and theory of mind tasks. Impairments in these domains were associated with higher levels of anxiety and lower
perceived quality of life inwomenwith breast cancer. No differences between groups were found in basic cognition abilities.
Conclusion & Significance:
This is the first study in assessing social cognition abilities in women with breast cancer. Our
results suggest that social cognition domains may be considered in the cognitive assessment of patients with breast cancer
as well as in the design of non-pharmacologic strategies. Future studies should investigate whether these social cognition
changes are associated with treatment effects.
Biography
Sandra Baez is professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Los Andes University. She holds a degree in Psychology, a Master
in Neuropsychology, and a Ph.D. in Psychology. She conducted her postdoctoral and received training in functional and structural
neuroimaging at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. She has experience in neuropsychological
assessment and cognitive stimulation techniques for patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Her interests and research
experience are focused on neuropsychological aspects as well as neurophysiological and neuroanatomical correlates of social
cognition domains in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. She has more than 50 publications in leading journals, such as Nature
Human Behavior, Neurology, Brain, JAMA Neurology, among others. She is associate Editor of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and
Frontiers in Psychiatry, and ad hoc Reviewer for more than 20 journals. She is also part of the Project team taskforce of the Human
Affectome Project.
sj.baez@uniandes.edu.coJ Neurol Clin Neurosci, Volume 3