Theory of mind and language comprehension in schizophrenia

Résumé 0

"Background: Theory of mind (ToM) is the natural ability to attribute/infer mental states about ourselves and others. The study of the limits of this capacity in autism-spectrum disorders has been projected more recently to the case of schizophrenia. Method: We review the studies on ToM de fi ciency in schizophrenia, based on the link observed by Chris Frith between psychotic symptoms and mentalizing anomalies, with particular attention to the implications of ToM in linguistic communication in the fi eld of fi gurative language comprehension. Results: The data support a connection between ToM de fi cits and psychotic symptoms. In schizophrenia, the de fi cit in ToM appears to be speci fi c and not dependent on more general cognitive abilities, and according to the evidence examined, it resembles a trait more than a state condition. The analysis of results shows that anomalies in ToM have projections on pragmatic aspects of language comprehension. Conclusions: ToM de fi cits showed by schizophrenic patients are especially linked to dif fi culties in understanding fi gurative language, beyond the in fl uence of intelligence and executive functions."