1
|
Kessler-Jones A, Cieminski TM, Field A, Knox A. Prosopagnosia in the context of right handedness, left hemisphere perinatal stroke, epileptogenic cyst, and focal epilepsy: A pre-surgical case report. Epilepsy Behav Rep 2024; 28:100706. [PMID: 39262922 PMCID: PMC11387213 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebr.2024.100706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Prosopagnosia, a neurological condition affecting perception and differentiation of faces, is categorized as either acquired or developmental (present since birth). Acquired cases of prosopagnosia are usually caused by right hemisphere or bilateral damage. We present a right-handed 17-year-old male with a history of focal epilepsy and a new diagnosis of prosopagnosia due to a perinatal stroke affecting the left lingual gyrus, a structure in close proximity to the fusiform face area. In addition to showing that early acquired cases of prosopagnosia may go unrecognized, this case shows that left hemisphere lesions may also affect facial recognition. It is important to screen for prosopagnosia via comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation in patients with lesions proximal to the fusiform face area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aaron Field
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | - Andrew Knox
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ficco L, Li C, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR, Kovács GZ. Investigating the neural effects of typicality and predictability for face and object stimuli. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293781. [PMID: 38776350 PMCID: PMC11111078 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain calibrates itself based on the past stimulus diet, which makes frequently observed stimuli appear as typical (as opposed to uncommon stimuli, which appear as distinctive). Based on predictive processing theory, the brain should be more "prepared" for typical exemplars, because these contain information that has been encountered frequently, allowing it to economically represent items of that category. Thus, one could ask whether predictability and typicality of visual stimuli interact, or rather act in an additive manner. We adapted the design by Egner and colleagues (2010), who used cues to induce expectations about stimulus category (face vs. chair) occurrence during an orthogonal inversion detection task. We measured BOLD responses with fMRI in 35 participants. First, distinctive stimuli always elicited stronger responses than typical ones in all ROIs, and our whole-brain directional contrasts for the effects of typicality and distinctiveness converge with previous findings. Second and importantly, we could not replicate the interaction between category and predictability reported by Egner et al. (2010), which casts doubt on whether cueing designs are ideal to elicit reliable predictability effects. Third, likely as a consequence of the lack of predictability effects, we found no interaction between predictability and typicality in any of the four tested regions (bilateral fusiform face areas, lateral occipital complexes) when considering both categories, nor in the whole brain. We discuss the issue of replicability in neuroscience and sketch an agenda for how future studies might address the same question.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- International Max-Planck Research School for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Chenglin Li
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Jürgen M. Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- International Max-Planck Research School for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Gyula Z. Kovács
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schroeger A, Ficco L, Wuttke SJ, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR. Differences between high and low performers in face recognition in electrophysiological correlates of face familiarity and distance-to-norm. Biol Psychol 2023; 182:108654. [PMID: 37549807 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Valentine's influential norm-based multidimensional face-space model (nMDFS) predicts that perceived distinctiveness of a face increases with its distance to the norm. Occipito-temporal event-related potentials (ERPs) have been recently shown to respond selectively to variations in distance-to-norm (P200) or familiarity (N250, late negativity), respectively (Wuttke & Schweinberger, 2019). Despite growing evidence on interindividual differences in face perception skills at the behavioral level, little research has focused on their electrophysiological correlates. To reveal potential interindividual differences in face spaces, we contrasted high and low performers in face recognition in regards to distance-to-norm (P200) and familiarity (N250). We replicated both the P200 distance-to-norm and the N250 familiarity effect. Importantly, we observed: i) reduced responses in low compared to high performers of face recognition, especially in terms of smaller distance-to-norm effects in the P200, possibly indicating less 'expanded' face spaces in low compared to high performers; ii) increased N250 responses to familiar original faces in high performers, suggesting more robust face identity representations. In summary, these findings suggest the contribution of both early norm-based face coding and robust face representations to individual face recognition skills, and indicate that ERPs can offer a promising route to understand individual differences in face perception and their neurocognitive correlates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schroeger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Department for the Psychology of Human Movement and Sport, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Department of Experimental Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
| | - Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max-Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
| | - Stella J Wuttke
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Infinite Potential Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jürgen M Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max-Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Site Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ma W, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Zhang X, Zheng D, Lei X, Han C. Face Blindness in Children and Current Interventions. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:676. [PMID: 37622816 PMCID: PMC10451769 DOI: 10.3390/bs13080676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, struggle to recognize the faces of acquaintances, which can have a negative impact on their social interactions and overall functioning. This paper reviews existing research on interventions for children with prosopagnosia, including compensatory and remedial strategies, and provides a summary and comparison of their effectiveness. However, despite the availability of these interventions, their effectiveness remains limited and constrained by various factors. The lack of a widely accepted treatment for children with prosopagnosia emphasizes the need for further research to improve intervention strategies. Last, three future research directions were proposed to improve interventions for prosopagnosia, including ecological approaches, the social challenges faced by children, and new potential intervention methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weina Ma
- Jing Hengyi School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
- Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Zeyu Xiao
- Jing Hengyi School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yannan Wu
- Jing Hengyi School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xiaoxian Zhang
- Jing Hengyi School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
- Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Dongwen Zheng
- Jing Hengyi School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xue Lei
- School of Business Administration, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Chengyang Han
- Jing Hengyi School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
- Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
von Eiff CI, Frühholz S, Korth D, Guntinas-Lichius O, Schweinberger SR. Crossmodal benefits to vocal emotion perception in cochlear implant users. iScience 2022; 25:105711. [PMID: 36578321 PMCID: PMC9791346 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech comprehension counts as a benchmark outcome of cochlear implants (CIs)-disregarding the communicative importance of efficient integration of audiovisual (AV) socio-emotional information. We investigated effects of time-synchronized facial information on vocal emotion recognition (VER). In Experiment 1, 26 CI users and normal-hearing (NH) individuals classified emotions for auditory-only, AV congruent, or AV incongruent utterances. In Experiment 2, we compared crossmodal effects between groups with adaptive testing, calibrating auditory difficulty via voice morphs from emotional caricatures to anti-caricatures. CI users performed lower than NH individuals, and VER was correlated with life quality. Importantly, they showed larger benefits to VER with congruent facial emotional information even at equal auditory-only performance levels, suggesting that their larger crossmodal benefits result from deafness-related compensation rather than degraded acoustic representations. Crucially, vocal caricatures enhanced CI users' VER. Findings advocate AV stimuli during CI rehabilitation and suggest perspectives of caricaturing for both perceptual trainings and sound processor technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Celina Isabelle von Eiff
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany,Voice Research Unit, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany,DFG SPP 2392 Visual Communication (ViCom), Frankfurt am Main, Germany,Corresponding author
| | - Sascha Frühholz
- Department of Psychology (Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland,Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Daniela Korth
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, 07747 Jena, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Robert Schweinberger
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany,Voice Research Unit, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany,DFG SPP 2392 Visual Communication (ViCom), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Schweinberger SR, von Eiff CI. Enhancing socio-emotional communication and quality of life in young cochlear implant recipients: Perspectives from parameter-specific morphing and caricaturing. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:956917. [PMID: 36090287 PMCID: PMC9453832 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.956917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of digitally modified stimuli with enhanced diagnostic information to improve verbal communication in children with sensory or central handicaps was pioneered by Tallal and colleagues in 1996, who targeted speech comprehension in language-learning impaired children. Today, researchers are aware that successful communication cannot be reduced to linguistic information—it depends strongly on the quality of communication, including non-verbal socio-emotional communication. In children with cochlear implants (CIs), quality of life (QoL) is affected, but this can be related to the ability to recognize emotions in a voice rather than speech comprehension alone. In this manuscript, we describe a family of new methods, termed parameter-specific facial and vocal morphing. We propose that these provide novel perspectives for assessing sensory determinants of human communication, but also for enhancing socio-emotional communication and QoL in the context of sensory handicaps, via training with digitally enhanced, caricatured stimuli. Based on promising initial results with various target groups including people with age-related macular degeneration, people with low abilities to recognize faces, older people, and adult CI users, we discuss chances and challenges for perceptual training interventions for young CI users based on enhanced auditory stimuli, as well as perspectives for CI sound processing technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Voice Research Unit, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Research Unit Person Perception, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- *Correspondence: Stefan R. Schweinberger,
| | - Celina I. von Eiff
- Voice Research Unit, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|