Facial emotion recognition, face scan paths, and face perception in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate face scan paths and face perception abilities in children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) and how these might relate to emotion recognition abilities in this population.


METHODS
The authors investigated facial emotion recognition, face scan paths, and face perception in 29 children with NF1 compared to 29 chronological age-matched typically developing controls. Correlations between facial emotion recognition, face scan paths, and face perception in children with NF1 were examined.


RESULTS
Children with NF1 displayed significantly poorer recognition of fearful expressions compared to controls, as well as a nonsignificant trend toward poorer recognition of anger. Although there was no significant difference between groups in time spent viewing individual core facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, and nonfeature regions), children with NF1 spent significantly less time than controls viewing the face as a whole. Children with NF1 also displayed significantly poorer face perception abilities than typically developing controls. Facial emotion recognition deficits were not significantly associated with aberrant face scan paths or face perception abilities in the NF1 group.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that impairments in the perception, identification, and interpretation of information from faces are important aspects of the social-cognitive phenotype of NF1. (PsycINFO Database Record
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University.
Amelia K
AK
Lewis
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University.
Melanie A
MA
Porter
ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, Macquarie University.
Tracey A
TA
Williams
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University.
Samantha
S
Bzishvili
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
Kathryn N
KN
North
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
Jonathan M
JM
Payne
D000293:Adolescent; D000786:Anger; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D000066499:Facial Recognition; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012938:Social Perception