title: Emotion recognition deficits exist in mild cognitive impairment, but only in the amnestic subtype.
abstract: Emotion recognition is impaired in dementia and there is some initial evidence to suggest that milder deficits may be present in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients, an "at risk" population for transition to dementia. In this study, we investigated the emotion recognition profile of MCI subgroups. Results show emotion recognition deficits exist for the amnestic subtype with impairment in multiple domains, with an emotion-specific deficit for anger recognition. Impaired emotion recognition in aMCI was independent of patient mood and cognitive deficits. The study is the first to examine the nonamnestic subtype. No emotion recognition deficits were found. This finding is surprising given the association between the nonamnestic subtype and frontal systems dysfunction. Impaired emotion recognition could be related to the selective pathophysiology in neural pathways, particularly the temporal lobe and connected limbic and prefrontal regions, implicated in both aMCI and emotion processing. These findings may have implications for early diagnosis, prognosis, and clinical management.
authors.affiliation: Ageing Brain Centre, Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCade
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.affiliation: Ageing Brain Centre, Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guastella
authors.affiliation: Ageing Brain Centre, Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney.
authors.forename: Simon J G
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4093-7071
authors.initials: SJG
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Ageing Brain Centre, Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney.
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9076-2778
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Naismith
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*