title: Emotion recognition in mild cognitive impairment: relationship to psychosocial disability and caregiver burden.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impaired emotion recognition in dementia is associated with increased patient agitation, behavior management difficulties, and caregiver burden. Emerging evidence supports the presence of very early emotion recognition difficulties in mild cognitive impairment (MCI); however, the relationship between these impairments and psychosocial measures is not yet explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  Emotion recognition abilities of 27 patients with nonamnestic MCI (naMCI), 29 patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI), and 22 control participants were assessed. Self-report measures assessed patient functional disability, while informants rated the degree of burden they experienced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Difficulties in recognizing anger was evident in the amnestic subtype. Although both the patient groups reported greater social functioning disability, compared with the controls, a relationship between social dysfunction and anger recognition was evident only for patients with naMCI. A significant association was found between burden and anger recognition in patients with aMCI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impaired emotion recognition abilities impact MCI subtypes differentially. Interventions targeted at patients with MCI, and caregivers are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Ageing Brain Centre, Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. donna.mccade@sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCade
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guastella
authors.forename: Ian B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Hickie
authors.forename: Simon J G
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Naismith
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: caregiver burden; dementia; disability; emotion recognition; facial expressions; mild cognitive impairment