Baseline Differences in Long-term Survivors and Nonsurvivors of the Colorado/Columbia Fetal Implant Trial.

Objective: This study is based on long-term follow-up of participants in a randomized double-blind sham surgery-controlled trial (1995-1999) designed to determine the effectiveness of implantation of human embryonic mesencephalic tissue containing dopamine neuron precursors into the brains of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated differences between long-term survivors and nonsurvivors at baseline in order to contribute to information regarding optimal patient selection for upcoming stem cell trials.

Method: Forty participants were randomly assigned to receive either neural implantation or sham surgery.

Investigating appraisal-driven facial expression and inference in emotion communication.

Theory and research on emotion expression, both on production and recognition, has been dominated by a categorical emotion approach suggesting that discrete emotions are elicited and expressed via prototypical facial muscle configurations that can then be recognized by observers, presumably via template matching. This tradition is increasingly challenged by alternative theoretical approaches. In particular, appraisal theorists have suggested that specific elements of facial expressions are directly produced by the result of certain appraisals and have made detailed predictions about the facial patterns to be expected for these appraisal configurations.

Dynamic Facial Expression of Emotion and Observer Inference.

Research on facial emotion expression has mostly focused on emotion recognition, assuming that a small number of discrete emotions is elicited and expressed via prototypical facial muscle configurations as captured in still photographs. These are expected to be recognized by observers, presumably via template matching. In contrast, appraisal theories of emotion propose a more dynamic approach, suggesting that specific elements of facial expressions are directly produced by the result of certain appraisals and predicting the facial patterns to be expected for certain appraisal configurations.

Video Review of Baseline Performance on Global Ratings in a Double-Blind Placebo Surgery Trial.

Background: A randomized controlled double-blind sham surgery trial was conducted to determine the effectiveness of implantation of human embryonic dopamine neurons into the putamen of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The present analyses determined whether patients viewing a video of them performing motor activities off medications at baseline would affect self-ratings 12 months later on the Global Rating Scale (GRS).

Objectives: To examine changes in GRS scores pre- and post-video review for the total sample; to examine differences in scores between actual implant and sham groups, as well as perceived groups pre- and post-video review; to examine differences among four subgroups of patients based on actual and perceived treatment (i.

Age-Related Changes in the Processing of Emotional Faces in a Dual-Task Paradigm.

Unlabelled: Background/ Study Context: Age-related changes appear to affect the ability to identify emotional facial expressions in dual-task conditions (i.e., while simultaneously performing a second visual task).

Skilful communication: Emotional facial expressions recognition in very old adults.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess the changes associated with ageing in the ability to identify emotional facial expressions and to what extent such age-related changes depend on the intensity with which each basic emotion is manifested.

Methods: A randomised controlled trial carried out on 107 subjects who performed a six alternative forced-choice emotional expressions identification task. The stimuli consisted of 270 virtual emotional faces expressing the six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger and disgust) at three different levels of intensity (low, pronounced and maximum).

Emotional processing in patients with mild cognitive impairment: the influence of the valence and intensity of emotional stimuli: the valence and intensity of emotional stimuli influence emotional processing in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Unlabelled: We studied the ability of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to process emotional facial expressions (EFEs). To date, no systematic study has addressed how variation in intensity affects recognition of the different type of EFEs in such subjects.

Design: Two groups of 50 elderly subjects, 50 healthy individuals and 50 with MCI, completed a task that involved identifying 180 EFEs prepared using virtual models.

The effects of different attentional demands in the identification of emotional facial expressions in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the progressive impairment of mental and emotional functions, including the processing of emotional facial expression (EFE). Deficits in decoding EFE are relevant in social contexts in which information from 2 or more sources may be processed simultaneously. To assess the role of contextual stimuli on EFE processing in AD, we analyzed the ability of patients with AD and healthy elderly adults to identify EFE when simultaneously performing another task.

Visuo-spatial interference affects the identification of emotional facial expressions in unmedicated Parkinson's patients.

There is evidence that visuo-spatial capacity can become overloaded when processing a secondary visual task (Dual Task, DT), as occurs in daily life. Hence, we investigated the influence of the visuo-spatial interference in the identification of emotional facial expressions (EFEs) in early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). We compared the identification of 24 emotional faces that illustrate six basic emotions in, unmedicated recently diagnosed PD patients (16) and healthy adults (20), under two different conditions: a) simple EFE identification, and b) identification with a concurrent visuo-spatial task (Corsi Blocks).

[Differential effects of dual tasks on emotional processing in non-medicated patients with Parkinson's disease].

Introduction: Previous research has shown that correct identification of emotional facial expressions (EFE) depends on the cognitive resources that are available. In this study, we examine whether the capacity to identify EFE in a dual task paradigm is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Aim: To investigate the interference generated by introducing a secondary task in EFE processing during the encoding and recovery of the facial expression in non-medicated PD patients.

Olfactory and gustatory sensitivity in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Recently, research on olfactory functions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become prominent, whereas gustation has never been investigated. Increased odor sensitivity was found in medication-naïve children with ADHD, but not in adult ADHD, which might be due to a dopaminergic dysregulation presumed to underlie this disorder. Taste sensitivity, in particular bitter sensitivity as a hereditary trait, also might be altered in ADHD.

Decline of executive processes affects identification of emotional facial expression in aging.

The current study examined the hypothesis that old people have a selective deficit in the identification of emotional facial expressions (EFEs) when the task conditions require the mechanism of the central executive. We have used a Dual Task (DT) paradigm to assess the role of visuo-spatial interference of working memory when processing emotional faces under two conditions: DT at encoding and DT at retrieval. Previous studies have revealed a loss of the ability to identify specific emotional facial expressions (EFEs) in old age.

Gustofacial and olfactofacial responses in human adults.

Adults' facial reactions in response to tastes and odors were investigated in order to determine whether differential facial displays observed in newborns remain stable in adults who exhibit a greater voluntary facial control. Twenty-eight healthy nonsmokers (14 females) tasted solutions of PROP (bitter), NaCl (salty), citric acid (sour), sucrose (sweet), and glutamate (umami) differing in concentration (low, medium, and high) and smelled different odors (banana, cinnamon, clove, coffee, fish, and garlic). Their facial reactions were video recorded and analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System.

Effectiveness of small-group interactive education vs. lecture-based information-only programs on motivation to change and lifestyle behaviours. A prospective controlled trial of rehabilitation inpatients.

Objective: Although patient education may promote motivation to change health behaviours, the most effective method has not yet been determined.

Methods: This prospective, controlled trial compared an interactive, patient-oriented group program with lectures providing only information. We evaluated motivational stages of change and self-reported behaviours in three domains (sports, diet, relaxation) at four times up to one year (60% complete data) among 753 German rehabilitation inpatients (mean age 50 years, 52% male) with orthopaedic (59%) or cardiologic disorders (10%) or diabetes mellitus (31%).

Differential patterns of implicit emotional processing in Alzheimer's disease and healthy aging.

Implicit memory for emotional facial expressions (EFEs) was investigated in young adults, healthy old adults, and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Implicit memory is revealed by the effect of experience on performance by studying previously encoded versus novel stimuli, a phenomenon referred to as perceptual priming. The aim was to assess the changes in the patterns of priming as a function of aging and dementia.

The impact of prefrontal cortex for selective attention in a visual working memory task.

In this study, a variant of the n-back task was used to investigate electrophysiological correlates of top-down processes in visual-object working memory. Event-related potentials were used to replicate results concerning an attention related modulation of neural processes and to investigate the involvement of prefrontal cortex in this modulation. 16 healthy subjects executed an n-back task with sequentially presented faces and scenes.

Activation of the prefrontal cortex in working memory and interference resolution processes assessed with near-infrared spectroscopy.

Background/aims: The present study investigated cortical correlates of top-down processes in visual-object working memory with multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy.

Methods: The activity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was investigated while performing an n-back task with sequentially presented task-relevant and task-irrelevant faces. The activation patterns in the PFC associated with working memory and interference resolution were examined in 20 healthy adults.

Long-term outcome and prognosis of dissociative disorder with onset in childhood or adolescence.

Background: In the majority of cases short-term treatment outcome of juvenile dissociative disorder is rather favourable. In contrast, the long-term course seems to be less positive, but meaningful results are still fragmentary. The aim of this follow-up study is to bridge this gap to some extent describing the long-term outcome of juvenile dissociative disorder in a clinical sample.

[Emotional processing of facial expressions in normal and pathological ageing].

Introduction: Many studies have shown that in both normal and pathological ageing there is a deterioration of emotional processing, especially as regards negative emotions such as fear.

Aim: To review the most important neurological and psychological research carried out to study emotional processing and relate it to the cognitive deterioration that characterises normal ageing and neurodegenerative diseases.

Development: Here, we discuss the two main lines of research, i.

Predictors of freezing in Parkinson's disease: a survey of 6,620 patients.

Data from a survey of 6,620 Parkinson's disease patients were examined for correlation of freezing with age, sex, duration, subjective severity of Parkinson's disease, and antiparkinsonian medication. Forty-seven percent of the patients reported experiencing freezing regularly. Logistic regression analysis showed that freezing was significantly associated with a longer disease duration and a more advanced stage of the disease.

Multimodal expression of emotion: affect programs or componential appraisal patterns?

In earlier work, the authors analyzed emotion portrayals by professional actors separately for facial expression, vocal expression, gestures, and body movements. In a secondary analysis of the combined data set for all these modalities, the authors now examine to what extent actors use prototypical multimodal configurations of expressive actions to portray different emotions, as predicted by basic emotion theories claiming that expressions are produced by fixed neuromotor affect programs. Although several coherent unimodal clusters are identified, the results show only 3 multimodal clusters: agitation, resignation, and joyful surprise, with only the latter being specific to a particular emotion.

Are facial expressions of emotion produced by categorical affect programs or dynamically driven by appraisal?

The different assumptions made by discrete and componential emotion theories about the nature of the facial expression of emotion and the underlying mechanisms are reviewed. Explicit and implicit predictions are derived from each model. It is argued that experimental expression-production paradigms rather than recognition studies are required to critically test these differential predictions.

Stress affects hedonic responses but not reaching-grasping in Parkinson's disease.

Stress can transiently increase motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), but it is unclear whether other behavioural changes associated with PD are also affected. We found that reaching-grasping was impaired in 19 PD patients compared with 19 matched controls, but these impairments were not amplified by stress. However, patients showed a stress-induced reduction of hedonic responses.

Patient education in Parkinson's disease: Formative evaluation of a standardized programme in seven European countries.

Objective: To evaluate a newly developed education programme for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: The programme consisted of eight sessions and aimed at improving knowledge and skills related to self-monitoring, health promotion, stress management, depression, anxiety, social competence, and social support, all with special reference to PD. The programme was formatively evaluated in seven European countries (Spain, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany) with 151 patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD.

Facial and affective reactions to tastes and their modulation by sadness and joy.

This study examined adults' affective and facial reactions to tastes which differ in quality and valence, and the impact of sadness and joy on these reactions. Thirty-six male and female subjects participated voluntarily. Subjects each tasted 6 ml of a sweet chocolate drink, a bitter quinine solution (0.