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Published on: July 31, 2016
Perceptual and semantic deficits in face recognition in semantic dementia
Golnaz Yadollahikhales1, Maria Luisa Mandelli2, Zoe Ezzes2
1Memory & Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California in San Francisco, 1651 4th St, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States; Jona Goldrich center for Alzheimer's and Memory disorders, Department of Neurology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd, Suite A 6600, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, United States.
Semantic dementia patients, including semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) and semantic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (sbvFTD), do not show perceptual face recognition deficits early on. However, later stages with right posterior temporal atrophy may impact face perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Semantic dementia (SD), encompassing semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) and semantic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (sbvFTD), is characterized by semantic deficits.
- Right anterior temporal lobe (ATL) atrophy is typically associated with difficulties in identifying familiar faces and people.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether semantic dementia patients exhibit perceptual deficits in face recognition.
- To explore the neural correlates of face processing in SD patients.
Main Methods:
- 74 SD patients (svPPA and sbvFTD) and 36 healthy controls (HC) underwent perceptual (Benton facial recognition test-short version; BFRT-S) and semantic face processing tests.
- Structural MRI and Voxel-based morphometry (CAT12) were used to analyze grey matter (GM) volumes and their correlation with task performance.
Main Results:
- SD patients were impaired on semantic face processing but showed preserved performance on the perceptual face recognition test (BFRT-S) compared to HC.
- Performance on the BFRT-S negatively correlated with GM volume in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS).
- Right ATL atrophy correlated with semantic task performance, while pSTS atrophy related to perceptual face processing.
Conclusions:
- Early-stage SD patients, with atrophy primarily in ATL, do not exhibit perceptual face recognition deficits.
- More advanced SD cases with right posterior temporal atrophy may show deficits in both semantic and perceptual face processing.
- The early preservation of face perception in SD has implications for understanding disease phenomenology and therapeutic strategies.
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