Deficits in the Mimicry of Facial Expressions in Parkinson's Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Humans spontaneously mimic the facial expressions of others, facilitating social interaction. This mimicking behavior may be impaired in individuals with Parkinson's disease, for whom the loss of facial movements is a clinical feature.

Objective

To assess the presence of facial mimicry in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Method

Twenty-seven non-depressed patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 28 age-matched controls had their facial muscles recorded with electromyography while they observed presentations of calm, happy, sad, angry, and fearful emotions.

Results

Patients exhibited reduced amplitude and delayed onset in the zygomaticus major muscle region (smiling response) following happy presentations (patients M = 0.02, 95% confidence in

SUBMITTER: Livingstone SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4894910 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature