Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome.

ABSTRACT: According to embodied simulation theories, others' emotions are recognized by the unconscious mimicking of observed facial expressions, which requires the implicit activation of the motor programs that produce a specific expression. Motor responses performed during the expression of a given emotion are hypothesized to be directly linked to autonomic responses associated with that emotional behavior. We tested this hypothesis in 9 children (M _age = 5.66) affected by Moebius syndrome (MBS) and 15 control children (M _age = 6.6). MBS is a neurological congenital disorder characterized by underdevelopment of the VI and VII cranial nerves, which results in paralysis of the face. Moebius patients' inability to produce facial expressions impairs their capacity t

SUBMITTER: Nicolini Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6476053 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature