Imagine, in a conversation with someone else, and realize that you could not tell if he was angry, sad, afraid or disgusted.
That describes the challenge, many people with Crohn's Parkinson's disease, a disease of the brain, which leads to tremble and slurred speech and now seem to interfere with the ability to read the emotions of others.
In the March issue of Neuropsychology, scientists from Harvard Medical School and Tufts University analyzed 34 different studies 1,295 people, finding that people with Morbus Parkinson often difficulties negative emotions in others to see.
In various studies asked people with and without Morbus Parkinson, a series of photos that look at to illustrate the different facial expressions or asked to listen to the voice, sent the different emotional States. Participants were invited in some studies, which compare two expressions and differences to identify proposed facial expression in others.
Heather gray, a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University and author of the analysis, said in an E-mail message, that people with Morbus Parkinson's hard to understand all kinds of emotions, but found it particularly difficult a sense of negative emotions, including disgust, fear, anger and sadness.
This effect is not clear, why has the disease. Researchers believe that Parkinson's can take a large toll on certain neural circuits involved in the recognition of negative emotions.
Parkinson's disease occurs when nerve cells that produce dopamine to change or die. Dopamine is essential for the coordinated body and movement when dopamine-producing cells damaged are the vibrations, balance problems and other typical symptoms of Parkinson's disease begin displayed are.
Another study by French researchers according to one of the common treatments for Crohn's Parkinson, deep brain stimulation, aggravate the problem of the recognition of emotion. Also published in Neuropsychology, by the way, the emotions of the face in 44 people with advanced Parkinson's disease see the study, 30 healthy control groups. Half with Morbus Parkinson was implantation of pacemakers, while others received medical treatment, the it out that the implant procedure were waiting. Pacemakers are brain electrical equipment, to standardize the nerve signals, to control the movement.
Before the implantation of pacemakers, all participants well read facial expressions. But three months after the treatment, patients with pacemakers were significantly worse, fear and grief when compared with other patients who advanced Parkinson's disease to healthy control groups to recognize. Patients with pacemakers confused emotions, as the wrong interpretation of anger is surprising. Sometimes, interpreted as a negative emotion and sadness at all no emotional response to fear them.
Dr. Gray said the conclusions that Parkinson's disease affects the ability to read, that the emotional state may have significant implications for the long-term health as this to social isolation could lead.
"In the long run, people have difficulties understanding other emotional States fight, maintain a healthy social relations", said Dr. gray."."And as we know, has important consequences for health. »
Information is also important for the members of the family and caregivers to spend time with someone who has Parkinson's disease. It is important to realize that these communication difficulties are also present, said they".Then, all the steps can communicate more clearly and avoid much frustration. »