Zeitschrift für Epileptologie Original Contribution Z. Epileptol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10309-019-0260-z © Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature 2019 Julia Bauer · Lorena C. Kegel · Bettina K. Steiger · Hennric Jokeit Swiss Epilepsy Centre, Zurich, Switzerland Assessment tools for social cognition in epilepsy Social cognition describes the processing of social information relevant to under- standing and interpreting the intentions, dispositions, and behavior of those one is interacting with and adapting one’s own behavior to them [1]. Tus, socio-cog- nitive deficits may hinder smooth so- cial interactions and consequently inter- fere with social integration and reduce quality of life [2]. Increasing evidence suggests that socio-cognitive abilities are impaired in people with focal and id- iopathic epilepsies [3]. Socio-cognitive functions are typically assessed on the basis of emotion recognition (ER) and theory of mind (ToM). Emotion recog- nition describes the ability to recognize and label emotions typically from facial and verbal expressions, but also in mu- sic [4], whereas ToM is the ability to represent and infer one’s own and oth- ers’ mental states such as beliefs, desires, and intentions [1]. Te most common approach to test ER is to present photographs of static facial expressions and request the participant to name the emotion shown. However, tasks with static photographs are artifi- cial, since they do not correspond with visual–spatial and temporal information in faces processed during everyday so- cial interactions [5]. Furthermore, such tasks do not reflect the multimodality of information processing one experiences in everyday life [6]. Teory of mind functions are com- monly examined with text-based tasks such as the Faux Pas Test [7], in which the participant has to infer the mental state of others by reading a short story about a social situation (for details, see section on Faux Pas Test). Te gener- alizability of such tests is questionable, as short stories lack the wealth of social situations in which contextual informa- tion may help or interfere with drawing conclusions about other people’s state of mind [8]. In light of this discrepancy with every- day life, socio-cognitive deficits of people with epilepsy, as they have generally been assessed to date, may be over- or under- estimated. Tis highlights the need for a new approach that uses multimodal tasks based on dynamic and highly eco- logical stimulus material [9]. For this reason, we developed a novel test bat- tery that aims at a comprehensive and detailed understanding of social cogni- tion: the NEmo (Networks of Emotion Processing) test battery. NEmo test battery Te NEmo test battery consists of five new computer-based, standardized tasks and two established tasks. Each task can be used independently of the oth- ers. Te tasks were developed to cover a broad spectrum of socio-cognitive sub-processes and contain validated open source stimulus material with European-looking adults. Te tasks pre- dominantly rely on dynamic stimulus material. One task, however, includes static stimuli to provide a better link to existing research and to ensure that those individuals with reduced atten- tional resources or low processing speed can be assessed. Te NEmo test battery is recommended for German-speaking adults aged 18–65 years with an IQ above 75. Te complete test battery can be per- formed in approximately 3h. Te time required for each individual task ranges between 5 and 40min. More detailed information on the NEmo test battery is presented here. For an overview of the features of the test battery, see . Table 1. Static facial emotion recognition Te Static Facial Emotion Recognition Task is used to assess ER in static facial expressions. In this task, participants are required to identify an emotion from portrait photographs by choosing one of the emotion labels listed underneath the photograph. Te photographs and the response options are presented simulta- neously without time restriction. An- swers and reaction times of every trial are recorded. Te photographs, from the Radboud Face Database [10], con- tain gray-scale photographs of female and male faces displaying the six basic emo- tions of fear, anger, disgust, surprise, sad- ness, and joy [11] as well as neutral facial expressions. For each expression, the task contains eight photographs of faces, out of which four are with direct gaze and four with 45° averted gaze (two to the lef, two to the right). Dynamic facial emotion recognition Te Dynamic Facial Emotion Recog- nition Task is used to examine the recognition of emotions in briefly pre- sented dynamic facial expressions. Afer the brief video presentation, participants must choose the corresponding emotion out of a list of the six basic emotions as quickly as possible. Answers and reac- tion times are recorded for each trial. Te stimulus material, from the STOIC Dynamic Facial Emotional Expressions Database [12], consists of short videos of gray-scale faces that depict dynamic expressions of the six basic emotions. Zeitschrift für Epileptologie