Abstract
Deficits in facial emotion recognition in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients has been well documented. Nevertheless, it is still not clear whether facial emotion recognition deficits are secondary to other cognitive impairments. The aim of this study was to answer the question of whether deficits in facial emotion recognition in PD result from impaired sensory processes, or from impaired decision processes. To address this question, we tested the ability to recognize a mixture of basic and complex emotions in 38 non-demented PD patients and 38 healthy controls matched on demographic characteristics. By using a task with an increased level of ambiguity, in conjunction with the signal detection theory, we were able to differentiate between sensitivity and response bias in facial emotion recognition. Sensitivity and response bias for facial emotion recognition were calculated using a d-prime value and a c index respectively. Our study is the first to employ the EIS-F scale for assessing facial emotion recognition among PD patients; to test its validity as an assessment tool, a group comprising schizophrenia patients and healthy controls were also tested. Patients with PD recognized emotions with less accuracy than healthy individuals (d-prime) and used a more liberal response criterion (c index). By contrast, patients with schizophrenia merely showed diminished sensitivity (d-prime). Our results suggest that an impaired ability to recognize facial emotions in PD patients may result from both decreased sensitivity and a significantly more liberal response criteria, whereas facial emotion recognition in schizophrenia may stem from a generalized sensory impairment only.
Highlights
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the wide range of cognitive symptoms accompanying neurodegenerative disorders
Parkinson’s disease (PD) Patients There were no significant differences between PD patients and HCs regarding demographic variables
There were no significant differences in memory measures (RAVLT, Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT))
Summary
There has been increasing interest in the wide range of cognitive symptoms accompanying neurodegenerative disorders This trend is reflected in the recommendations published in the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), which state that neuropsychological assessment for such disorders should be expanded to include social cognition. PD results from a loss of dopamine neurons in the pars compacta region of the substantia nigra and depletion of some of the neurons within the ventral tegmental area (Braak et al, 2003; Drui et al, 2014) These degenerations affect both nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic systems and seem to be associated with facial emotion recognition ability in PD (Péron et al, 2012). Inability to recognize anger and disgust has been shown to be directly related to dopamine depletion (Sprengelmeyer et al, 2003; Lawrence et al, 2007)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.