Abstract
Background Parkinson's disease is associated with impaired ability to recognize emotional facial expressions. In addition to a visual processing disorder, a visual recognition disorder may be involved in these patients. Pareidolia is a type of complex visual illusion that permits the interpretation of a vague stimulus as something known to the observer. Parkinson's patients experience pareidolic illusions. N170 and N250 waveforms are two event-related potentials (ERPs) involved in emotional facial expression recognition. Objective In this study, we investigated how Parkinson's patients process face and face-pareidolia stimuli at the neural level using N170, vertex positive potential (VPP), and N250 components of event-related potentials. Methods To examine the response of face and face-pareidolia processing in Parkinson's patients, we measured the N170, VPP, and N250 components of the event-related brain potentials in a group of 21 participants with Parkinson's disease and 26 control participants. Results We found that the latencies of N170 and VPP responses to both face and face-pareidolia stimuli were increased along with their amplitudes, and the amplitude of N250 responses decreased in Parkinson's patients compared to the control group. In both control and Parkinson's patients, face stimuli generated greater ERP amplitude and shorter latency in responses than did face-pareidolia stimuli. Conclusion The results of our study showed that ERPs associated with face and also face-pareidolia stimuli processing are changed in early-stage neurophysiological activity in the temporoparietal cortex of Parkinson's patients.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is more than a motor system movement
Detailed clinical assessment of all patients was performed by a neurologist. e Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) [24] and Mini-Mental Test for General Cognitive Assessment (MMSE) [25] were used in order to determine the clinical features of PD; and the Hoehn–Yahr scale [26] was used to determine the disease stage
We found that the latencies of N170 and vertex positive potential (VPP) responses to both face and face-pareidolia stimuli were delayed, and their amplitudes increased. e amplitudes of N250 responses decreased in Parkinson’s patients, compared with the control group
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is more than a motor system movement. Cognitive and sensory processing may, both, be impaired, and even such nonmotor symptoms can often be more stringent [1]. E electroencephalogram (EEG) registers brain electrical activity research on Parkinson’s disease is of low cost and represents no risk to the patient Most of these studies are focused on resting EEG, and less studies on event-related potentials (ERPs). We investigated how Parkinson’s patients process face and face-pareidolia stimuli at the neural level using N170, vertex positive potential (VPP), and N250 components of event-related potentials. To examine the response of face and face-pareidolia processing in Parkinson’s patients, we measured the N170, VPP, and N250 components of the event-related brain potentials in a group of 21 participants with Parkinson’s disease and 26 control participants. E results of our study showed that ERPs associated with face and face-pareidolia stimuli processing are changed in early-stage neurophysiological activity in the temporoparietal cortex of Parkinson’s patients Conclusion. e results of our study showed that ERPs associated with face and face-pareidolia stimuli processing are changed in early-stage neurophysiological activity in the temporoparietal cortex of Parkinson’s patients
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