Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome
According to embodied simulation theories, others’ emotions are recognized by the unconscious mimicking of observed facial expressions, which requires the implicit activation of the motor programs that produce a specific expression. Motor responses performed during the expression of a given emotion...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Neural Plasticity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/7253768 |
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| author | Ylenia Nicolini Barbara Manini Elisa De Stefani Gino Coudé Daniela Cardone Anna Barbot Chiara Bertolini Cecilia Zannoni Mauro Belluardo Andrea Zangrandi Bernardo Bianchi Arcangelo Merla Pier Francesco Ferrari |
| author_facet | Ylenia Nicolini Barbara Manini Elisa De Stefani Gino Coudé Daniela Cardone Anna Barbot Chiara Bertolini Cecilia Zannoni Mauro Belluardo Andrea Zangrandi Bernardo Bianchi Arcangelo Merla Pier Francesco Ferrari |
| author_sort | Ylenia Nicolini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | According to embodied simulation theories, others’ emotions are recognized by the unconscious mimicking of observed facial expressions, which requires the implicit activation of the motor programs that produce a specific expression. Motor responses performed during the expression of a given emotion are hypothesized to be directly linked to autonomic responses associated with that emotional behavior. We tested this hypothesis in 9 children (Mage=5.66) affected by Moebius syndrome (MBS) and 15 control children (Mage=6.6). MBS is a neurological congenital disorder characterized by underdevelopment of the VI and VII cranial nerves, which results in paralysis of the face. Moebius patients’ inability to produce facial expressions impairs their capacity to communicate emotions through the face. We therefore assessed Moebius children’s autonomic response to emotional stimuli (video cartoons) by means of functional infrared thermal (fIRT) imaging. Patients showed weaker temperature changes compared to controls, suggesting impaired autonomic activity. They also showed difficulties in recognizing facial emotions from static illustrations. These findings reveal that the impairment of facial movement attenuates the intensity of emotional experience, probably through the diminished activation of autonomic responses associated with emotional stimuli. The current study is the first to investigate emotional responses in MBS children, providing important insights into the role of facial expressions in emotional processing during early development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-484767d75c7b42e68688eda81c6d1791 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-5904 1687-5443 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neural Plasticity |
| spelling | doaj-art-484767d75c7b42e68688eda81c6d17912025-08-20T03:36:00ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432019-01-01201910.1155/2019/72537687253768Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius SyndromeYlenia Nicolini0Barbara Manini1Elisa De Stefani2Gino Coudé3Daniela Cardone4Anna Barbot5Chiara Bertolini6Cecilia Zannoni7Mauro Belluardo8Andrea Zangrandi9Bernardo Bianchi10Arcangelo Merla11Pier Francesco Ferrari12Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, ItalyDeafness and Neural Plasticity Lab, School of Psychology-University of East Anglia, Norwich, UKUnit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, ItalyInstitut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod UMR 5229, CNRS, and Université Claude Bernarde Lyon, Bron Cedex, FranceInfrared Imaging Lab ITAB-Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies and Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara, ItalyUnit of Audiology and Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, ItalyUnit of Audiology and Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, ItalyUnit of Audiology and Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, ItalyUnit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, ItalyClinical Neuropsychology, Cognitive Disorders and Dyslexia Unit, Department of Neurology, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, ItalyMaxillo-Facial Surgery Division, Head and Neck Department, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, ItalyInfrared Imaging Lab ITAB-Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies and Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara, ItalyUnit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, ItalyAccording to embodied simulation theories, others’ emotions are recognized by the unconscious mimicking of observed facial expressions, which requires the implicit activation of the motor programs that produce a specific expression. Motor responses performed during the expression of a given emotion are hypothesized to be directly linked to autonomic responses associated with that emotional behavior. We tested this hypothesis in 9 children (Mage=5.66) affected by Moebius syndrome (MBS) and 15 control children (Mage=6.6). MBS is a neurological congenital disorder characterized by underdevelopment of the VI and VII cranial nerves, which results in paralysis of the face. Moebius patients’ inability to produce facial expressions impairs their capacity to communicate emotions through the face. We therefore assessed Moebius children’s autonomic response to emotional stimuli (video cartoons) by means of functional infrared thermal (fIRT) imaging. Patients showed weaker temperature changes compared to controls, suggesting impaired autonomic activity. They also showed difficulties in recognizing facial emotions from static illustrations. These findings reveal that the impairment of facial movement attenuates the intensity of emotional experience, probably through the diminished activation of autonomic responses associated with emotional stimuli. The current study is the first to investigate emotional responses in MBS children, providing important insights into the role of facial expressions in emotional processing during early development.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/7253768 |
| spellingShingle | Ylenia Nicolini Barbara Manini Elisa De Stefani Gino Coudé Daniela Cardone Anna Barbot Chiara Bertolini Cecilia Zannoni Mauro Belluardo Andrea Zangrandi Bernardo Bianchi Arcangelo Merla Pier Francesco Ferrari Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome Neural Plasticity |
| title | Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome |
| title_full | Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome |
| title_fullStr | Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome |
| title_full_unstemmed | Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome |
| title_short | Autonomic Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Children Affected by Facial Palsy: The Case of Moebius Syndrome |
| title_sort | autonomic responses to emotional stimuli in children affected by facial palsy the case of moebius syndrome |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/7253768 |
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