Ambiguous Decision-Making in Adults with Epilepsy - Abstract
Introduction: There is a high prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in epilepsy. ASDs are characterised by a deficit of social interaction, social communication, and restricted, repetitive behaviours. Previous research by Wakeford and colleagues reported higher autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy who had no diagnosis of
an ASD. A subsequent study found that while sameness behaviours were unimpaired, adults with epilepsy reported poor reciprocal social interaction, revealing difficulties
in social interactions, a characteristic of autism. The Somatic Marker Hypothesis proposes that neural systems supporting decision-making overlap with components of a neural circuitry which guide social behaviour. Impaired decision-making abilities under ambiguity may indicate compromised somatic marker formation, crucial for social cognition. The present paper aims to investigate ambiguous decision making, and whether the Somatic Marker Hypothesis is a valid explanatory model for these cognitive features of epilepsy.
Method: Our experiment investigated ambiguous decision-making ability measured by the IOWA Gambling Task in adults with epilepsy.
Results: Adults with epilepsy demonstrated impaired decision-making abilities compared to adults without epilepsy, likely to result from compromised somatic marker formation.
Conclusion: The somatic marker hypothesis contributes a neurobiological plausible account of the underlying impairment of decision-making in epilepsy. Given that intact somatic marker formation is important for social cognitive function, this model provides a mechanism for linking somatic function to decision-making and social behaviours in
epilepsy, suggesting that disrupted neurobiological factors may be implicated in both.