Comparative Analysis of Social Cognitive and Neurocognitive Performance Across Autism and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

This study looked at thinking and social skills in 584 people with autism, schizophrenia, and no diagnosis. Both autism and schizophrenia groups had similar difficulties with social tasks like understanding emotions and reading minds compared to typical people. However, people with schizophrenia had more problems with memory and thinking speed than autistic people. The results suggest that autism and schizophrenia might benefit from similar approaches to help with social difficulties.

This large transdiagnostic study compared social cognitive and neurocognitive performance across 584 participants with autism (N=100), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs, N=275), and typically developing controls (N=209). Both autism and SSD groups showed similar impairments in social cognitive tasks (emotion processing, theory of mind) compared to controls, with few differences between clinical groups. However, neurocognitive differences emerged, with SSDs showing greater impairments in processing speed, working memory, and learning compared to autism. Positive associations were found between social cognition and neurocognition across groups, and empathy measures correlated with social functioning.

The findings support transdiagnostic approaches to understanding and treating social cognitive difficulties.

Findings support transdiagnostic intervention approaches for social cognitive difficulties. Assessment should include both social cognitive and neurocognitive domains. Empathy measures may serve as useful clinical indicators. Different cognitive profiles suggest tailored approaches may be needed for autism versus schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Study type not specified in metadata. Cross-sectional design cannot establish causality. Potential selection bias and demographic confounds not fully detailed. Self-report measures may introduce bias. Generalizability across different autism presentations unclear.

Social cognitive and neurocognitive performance is impacted in autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). Here, we compared social cognitive and neurocognitive performance across a large transdiagnostic sample of participants with autism, SSDs, and typically developing controls (TDCs). Participants (total N = 584; autism N = 100, SSDs N = 275, TDCs N = 209; aged 16-55 years; 61% male assigned at birth) completed lower-level (eg, emotion processing) and higher-level (eg, theory of mind) social cognitive tasks, the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, and a measure of social functioning. Nonparametric groupwise comparisons were undertaken, adjusting for age and sex, and within-group correlations were used to examine associations between social cognition, neurocognition, and social functioning.

Autistic and SSD groups performed worse than TDCs on lower- and higher-level social cognitive tasks, with few autism-SSD differences found. Autism and SSDs had lower neurocognitive scores than TDCs; SSDs demonstrated lower processing speed, working memory, verbal learning, and visual learning versus autism. Positive associations between social cognitive tasks and neurocognition were observed across groups, and self-reported measures of empathy were consistently correlated with social functioning. This study represents the largest transdiagnostic comparison of both social cognition and neurocognition in an autism/SSD sample reported to date.

Autistic participants and those with SSDs showed similar performance on lower- and higher-level social cognitive tasks relative to controls, while neurocognition was less impacted in autism versus SSDs. These findings underscore the importance of transdiagnostic research into the mechanisms underlying social cognitive deficits and highlight the potential for developing transdiagnostic interventions.