Sarcasm Can Be Used to Help Diagnose Dementia

A New South Wales scientist has found that patients under 65 suffering from a form of dementia are unable to appreciate when they are on the receiving end of sarcasm. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second-most common form of dementia; it is often referred to as Pick disease. This degenerative disorder disturbs mental processes, such as reasoning, problem solving, and memory. It often affects the ability to use and understand spoken and written language. This lies behind Professor Hodges’ work, which is to be reported in the journal Brain.

Twenty-six patients with FTD and 19 Alzheimer’s patients were exposed to a test in which actors played different scenarios, but using exactly the same words. In one scenario the actor would deliver the lines sincerely, in others they would use a heavily sarcastic tone of voice. The patients were then asked if they “got” the joke. In one example, a couple are discussing a weekend away and the wife suggests bringing her mother. The husband then says: “Well, that’s great; you know how much I like your mother, so it will be a wonderful weekend.” This sentence can be delivered in a normal, sincere tone, or a heavily sarcastic one – entirely changing the husband’s attitude. The patients with FTD found the meaning sincere, whichever tone was used.

This is more than just interesting. Used as a test it could help spot someone with FTD in the early stages, and prove much less expensive than other tests for this type of dementia.