Emotion recognition in the dementias: brain correlates and patient implications

Abstract

SUMMARY Changes in behavior, personality and the ability to interact in social situations have been reported to varying extents across dementia syndromes. Deficits in the ability to recognize emotion in others probably contribute to these socioemotional changes. This article reviews the patterns of emotion recognition impairments and their underlying brain correlates in four dementia syndromes: Alzheimer’s disease; frontotemporal dementia; Huntington’s disease; and progressive supranuclear palsy. Despite emotion recognition deficits being observed in all these patient groups, a limited understanding exists on how these deficits translate into everyday behavior. The adoption of ecologically valid tasks is likely to improve our understanding of these deficits in everyday settings, and will help to provide guidance for management strategies for patients and their carers.