Visual and Affective Functioning in Parkinson's Disease

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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.