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Updated: Jan 12, 2026
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Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
Published on: August 12, 2019
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Face processing deficits following brain tumours: Behavioural correlates and surgery-sensitive hotspots
Fabio Campanella1, Corrado Corradi-Dell'Acqua2, Giulia Sebastianutto3
1Neurosurgery Unit, Presidio Ospedaliero Universitario "S. Maria della Misericordia", Udine, Italy.
Summary
Right hemisphere brain tumors can impair face recognition, especially memory and recognition tasks. Emotion recognition deficits can occur with damage to either hemisphere, highlighting the need for careful surgical monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Face processing deficits are rarely studied in brain tumor patients.
- Right hemisphere functions, crucial for face processing, are under-investigated in this population.
- Preserving right hemisphere functions during surgery is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate anatomical correlates of face processing deficits after unilateral brain tumors.
- To assess deficits in recognizing unknown faces, memorizing faces, and decoding emotional expressions.
- To determine if these deficits are right-lateralized or also occur with left hemisphere damage.
Main Methods:
- 110 patients with unilateral tumors underwent pre- and post-surgery assessments.
- A battery of tasks evaluated face recognition memory (BFRT, RMT-F) and emotion recognition (EK-60F).
- Voxel-based Lesion Symptom Mapping (VLSM) analyzed anatomical correlates of deficits.
Main Results:
- Deficits in face recognition memory (BFRT, RMT-F) were more common after right hemisphere tumors.
- Emotion recognition deficits (EK-60F) were more evenly distributed between hemispheres.
- VLSM identified specific lesion locations (e.g., right hippocampus, Fusiform Face Area) associated with particular face processing deficits post-surgery.
Conclusions:
- The right temporal lobe is critical for most face processing aspects.
- Emotion recognition involves both right and left hemispheres.
- Facial processing areas are sensitive to surgical damage, necessitating careful monitoring.
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