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  • Yayın
    The effect of the interaction between autistic traits and psychotic proneness on empathy: a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical sample
    (Emerald Publishing, 2023-11-08) Yıldırım, Elif
    Purpose: Recent evidence indicates an improving effect of the co-occurrence of autistic traits and psychotic symptoms on social cognition, but there is no agreement on the effect of the interaction between autistic traits and psychotic proneness on empathy. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the interaction between autistic traits and positive psychotic experiences on cognitive and affective empathy. Design/methodology/approach: The sample consisted of 420 adults aged between 18 and 60. Assessments were administered anonymously online. Empathic abilities were evaluated by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). While Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was applied to measure autistic traits, The Community Assessment of Psychic Experience (CAPE) was used as a measurement of positive psychotic experiences. Findings: A series of regression analyses showed that although AQ and CAPE scores were not correlated with cognitive-IRI, the interaction between these scores predicted cognitive-IRI scores. It was found that the personal distress subscale of IRI was significantly associated with AQ, but this relationship was moderated by CAPE scores. Originality/value: These findings provide a different perspective on understanding social cognitive impairments in autism, which may have potential clinical implications. Findings also contribute to explaining the individual differences in empathic abilities.
  • Yayın
    Shrinkage of olfactory amygdala connotes cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease
    (Springer, 2023-10) Ay, Ulaş; Yıldırım, Zerrin; Erdoğdu, Emel; Kıçik, Ani; Öztürk Işık, Esin; Demiralp, Tamer; Gürvit, Hakan
    During the caudo-rostral progression of Lewy pathology, the amygdala is involved relatively early in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, lesser is known about the volumetric differences at the amygdala subdivisions, although the evidence mainly implicates the olfactory amygdala. We aimed to investigate the volumetric differences between the amygdala’s nuclear and sectoral subdivisions in the PD cognitive impairment continuum compared to healthy controls (HC). The volumes of nine nuclei of the amygdala were estimated with FreeSurfer (nuclear parcellation-NP) from T1-weighted images of PD patients with normal cognition (PD-CN), PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), PD with dementia (PD-D), and HC. The appropriate nuclei were then merged to obtain three sectors of the amygdala (sectoral parcellation-SP). The nuclear and sectoral volumes were compared among the four groups and between the hyposmic and normosmic PD patients. There was a significant difference in the total amygdala volume among the four groups. In terms of nuclei, the bilateral cortico-amygdaloid transition area (CAT) and sectors superficial cortex-like region (sCLR) volumes of PD-MCI and PD-D were less than those of the PD-CN and HC. A linear discriminant analysis revealed that left CAT and left sCLR volumes classified the PD-CN and cognitively impaired PD (PD-CI: PD-MCI plus PD-D) with 90.7% accuracy according to NP and 85.2% accuracy to SP. Similarly, left CAT and sCLR volumes correctly identified the hyposmic and normosmic PD with 64.8% and 61.1% accuracies. Notably, the left olfactory amygdala volume successfully discriminated cognitive impairment in PD and could be used as neuroimaging-based support for PD-CI diagnosis.
  • Yayın
    Posterior atrophy is a neuroimaging marker of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease
    (Türk Nöropsikiyatri Derneği, 2026-02-02) Ay, Ulaş; Yıldırım, Zerrin; Kıcik, Ani; Erdoğdu, Emel; Bilgiç, Başar; Hanağası, Haşmet; Öztürk Işık, Esin; Demiralp, Tamer; Gürvit, Hakan
    Introduction: Although there are several studies on the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease (PD)-associated cognitive impairment, the clinical usefulness of the findings from these investigations is limited. In this study, we aimed to identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers that can be practically utilized for diagnosing PD-associated cognitive impairment using a visual rating scale (VRS). Methods: Anatomical MRIs of cognitively normal (PD-CN), and PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) patients were visually evaluated for six bilateral cortical regions. Then, hypothesis-driven cortical thickness analysis (CTA) was performed in the regions obtained from VRS. Results: As a consequence of VRS, a significant difference was found between the two groups with regards to right posterior atrophy (PA) scores (pFDR-corr = 0.042, Cohen's d= 1.06). Hypothesis-driven CTA confirmed the result of VRS by revealing cortical thinning at the precuneus and parieto-occipital sulcus junction (Max. T= 6.171, P= 0.0006, MNIx, y,z = 11.0,-62.2, 25.4). The area under the curve was 0.75, showing a good association between the PD-MCI and the right PA score. The cut-off for maximum accuracy was >= 2, based on the highest sum of sensitivity (0.68) and specificity (0.72). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that right PA atrophy may be helpful for clinicians in the diagnosis of PD-associated cognitive impairment.