Visual and Affective Functioning in Parkinson's Disease

描述(由申请人提供)：与帕金森氏病(PD)相关的情绪变化在最近的文献中受到越来越多的关注。越来越多的研究报告说，帕金森病患者在识别情绪面部表情(EFE)方面表现出能力受损。然而，没有人检查过对情绪信息的感知是否完好无损。本研究建议调查已知的帕金森病患者的基本视觉功能异常如何影响这些能力。这项研究的第一个目的是检查对比敏感度和视觉扫描模式的异常对EFE识别能力的影响。本研究的第二个目的是探讨EFE图像对比度的改变对EFE识别的影响。综上所述，这些方法允许进一步探索帕金森病患者基本视觉系统的功能完整性，并将允许更好地理解视觉感知与EFE识别的关系。这些发现的未来应用将有助于创建干预策略，帕金森病患者可以使用这些策略来改善EFE缺陷，否则将干扰正常的社会功能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Emotional changes associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) have been receiving increasing attention in recent literature. A growing number of studies are reporting that PD patients display impaired abilities in the recognition of emotional facial expressions (EFE). However, none have examined whether the perception of emotional information was intact. The present study proposes to investigate how basic visual functioning, known to be abnormal in individuals with PD impacts these abilities. The first aim of the study is to examine the ways in which abnormalities of contrast sensitivity and visual scanning patterns affect EFE identification abilities. A second aim of this study is to explore the impact that modifications in the contrast of EFE images will have on EFE recognition. Taken together, these methods allow for further exploration of the functional integrity of basic visual systems in PD, and will permit a greater understanding of the relation of visual perception to EFE identification. Future applications of these findings will facilitate the creation of intervention strategies that individuals with PD can employ to ameliorate EFE deficits that would otherwise interfere with normal social functioning.