22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior. We examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 273 participants (mean age = 17.74 ± 5.18% female = 44.3%): 50 with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 102 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning. The 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to CHR, FEP, and HC groups after controlling for intellectual functioning, but not in comparison to the ASD group. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group. Our findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. These results contribute to our understanding of the intellectual and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings of robust associations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasizes the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring these existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.

中文翻译：

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22q11.2 缺失综合征和特发性发育性神经精神疾病的社会认知

22q11.2 缺失综合征 (22q11DS) 是一种常见的复发性神经遗传疾病，与发育性神经精神疾病和智力障碍的风险升高相关。患有 22q11DS 的儿童和成人通常表现出明显的社交障碍和神经认知缺陷，并且自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 和精神病的发病率较高。然而，22q11DS的社会认知基本过程与认知能力之间的关系尚未得到很好的研究。在这里，我们检查了 22q11DS 的社会认知差异，相对于多组特发性神经精神疾病，以及通常发育的健康对照 (HC)。此外，我们还研究了智力功能的差异及其与社会认知能力的关系。最后，我们研究了社交认知能力和现实世界的社交行为之间的关系。我们检查了 273 名参与者的社会认知和智力功能（平均年龄 = 17.74 ± 5.18%，女性 = 44.3%）：50 名患有 22q11DS，49 名患有首发精神病 (FEP) 的青少年，48 名患有精神病的临床高风险 (CHR)， 24 名患有 ASD 的参与者和 102 名 HC 参与者。社会认知通过社会推理意识测试（TASIT）进行评估，而互惠社会行为则通过父母/看护者对社会反应量表（SRS）的评分进行评估。参与者还接受了第二版韦氏简略智力量表（WASI-II）来评估智力功能。在控制智力功能后，22q11DS 组的社交认知能力显着低于 CHR、FEP 和 HC 组，但与 ASD 组相比则不然。通过跨组的 TASIT 和 IQ 测量，社会认知之间存在显着的正相关性。相比之下，对于任何群体来说，TASIT 和现实世界的社会行为 (SRS) 之间都没有发现显着的关系。我们的研究结果表明，即使在调整了整体智力功能之后，22q11DS 的社交认知缺陷在整个年龄范围内也比特发性神经精神疾病更为突出。这些结果有助于我们了解 22q11DS 与特发性神经精神疾病相比的智力和社会脆弱性。我们关于智力能力和社会认知之间强有力关联的发现强调了在社交技能干预中考虑神经认知缺陷以及针对 22q11DS 和其他智力障碍人群定制这些现有治疗模型的重要性。