The processing of social information transmitted by facial stimuli is altered in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study investigated whether these alterations also affect the mechanisms underlying the orienting of visual attention in response to eye-gaze signals. TBI patients and a control group of healthy individuals matched on relevant criteria completed a spatial cueing task. In this task, a lateral visual target was presented along with a task-irrelevant face, with the gaze averted to the left or right. Arrows pointing towards the left or right were also used as non-social control stimuli. Social cognition abilities were further investigated through tests based on decoding emotional expressions and mental states conveyed by facial stimuli. The decoding of emotions and mental states was worse in the TBI group than in the control group. However, both groups demonstrated reliable and comparable orienting of attention to both eye-gaze and arrow stimuli. Despite impairments in certain aspects of social face processing among TBI patients, gaze cueing of attention appears to be preserved in this neuropsychological population.

Vascello, M., Pizzighello, S., Spada, M., Martinuzzi, A., Dalmaso, M. (2024). Social face processing in chronic severe traumatic brain injury: Altered decoding of emotions and mental states but preserved gaze cueing of attention. NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA, 203(10 October 2024) [10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108975].

Social face processing in chronic severe traumatic brain injury: Altered decoding of emotions and mental states but preserved gaze cueing of attention

Spada, Maria S.;
2024

Abstract

The processing of social information transmitted by facial stimuli is altered in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study investigated whether these alterations also affect the mechanisms underlying the orienting of visual attention in response to eye-gaze signals. TBI patients and a control group of healthy individuals matched on relevant criteria completed a spatial cueing task. In this task, a lateral visual target was presented along with a task-irrelevant face, with the gaze averted to the left or right. Arrows pointing towards the left or right were also used as non-social control stimuli. Social cognition abilities were further investigated through tests based on decoding emotional expressions and mental states conveyed by facial stimuli. The decoding of emotions and mental states was worse in the TBI group than in the control group. However, both groups demonstrated reliable and comparable orienting of attention to both eye-gaze and arrow stimuli. Despite impairments in certain aspects of social face processing among TBI patients, gaze cueing of attention appears to be preserved in this neuropsychological population.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Traumatic brain injury; arrow cueing; gaze cueing; social attention; social cognition
English
22-ago-2024
2024
203
10 October 2024
108975
open
Vascello, M., Pizzighello, S., Spada, M., Martinuzzi, A., Dalmaso, M. (2024). Social face processing in chronic severe traumatic brain injury: Altered decoding of emotions and mental states but preserved gaze cueing of attention. NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA, 203(10 October 2024) [10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108975].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Vascello-2024-Neuropsychologia-VoR.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Tipologia di allegato: Publisher’s Version (Version of Record, VoR)
Licenza: Creative Commons
Dimensione 1.77 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.77 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/504963
Citazioni
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
Social impact