Empathy in mild cognitive impairment: a preliminary clinical comparative study in Southern Switzerland using the interpersonal reactivity index (IRI) and the story-based empathy task (SET)
These findings provide preliminary evidence of early empathy-related and theory of mind alterations in MCI, supporting the inclusion of social cognition assessments in standard neuropsychological protocols. The combined use of self-report and task-based instruments may enhance early identification of socio-emotional dysfunctions and inform personalized clinical interventions. The preliminary nature of this study is mainly due to the small sample size and the heterogeneous clinical profiles, which limit generalizability but highlight the need for replication in larger cohorts.
Authors
- Lucia Morellini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0733-8122)
- Alistair T. Pagnamenta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7334-0602)
- Rosalba Morese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4939-6539)
- Leonardo Sacco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9494-7742)
- Marianna Lissi
- Elena Fontana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4553-2452)
- Laura Rege-Colet
- Lilian Arnaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3028-0253)
Institutions
- University of Geneva (CH)
- Laboratory for Biomedical Neurosciences (CH)
- Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (CH)
- Clinique Romande de Réadaptation (CH)
- Università della Svizzera italiana (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
- Published
- 2025-09-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2025.1661172
- Primary Topic
- Empathy and Medical Education
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Alzheimer's Association