Background: Impairments in the ability to recognize facial affective expressions may lead to social dysfunction and difficulties with interpersonal communication. Objective: The objective was to compare the attentional responses on a Stroop emotional task using words and faces by testing whether the two stimuli differ in the degree of interference they produce in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: There were 75 participants: 25 healthy older adults, 25 with mild AD, and 25 with moderate AD. A variation of the classic emotional Stroop test was administered. This task combined emotional words (happy or sad) superimposed on facial expressions (happy or sad), where the words were either incongruent or congruent with the emotion expressed by the face stimuli. Results: Facilitation was shown on negative words in healthy older adults, and significant effects were obtained for condition, valence, group, and the condition x group interaction. Although less interference was observed on negative stimuli, the fastest reaction times were found for congruent positive stimuli. The effect of interference in healthy older adults is similar in both conditions. However, in the AD groups, there is less interference on the words task than on the faces task.
Conclusion:The more complex nature of faces, as opposed to the over-learning and automaticity of words, may explain the higher interference in AD patients in the faces condition. In patients with AD, words can be a better method for recognizing emotions than affective facial expressions.
Population aging brings with it cognitive impairment. One of the challenges of the coming years is the early and accessible detection of cognitive impairment. Therefore, this study aims to validate a neuropsychological screening test, self-administered and in software format, called NAIHA Neuro Cognitive Test (NNCT), designed for elderly people with and without cognitive impairment. This test aims to digitize cognitive assessments to add greater accessibility than classic tests, as well as to present results in real time and reduce costs. To this end, a comparison is made with tests such as MMSE, Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and CAMCOG. For this purpose, the following statistical analyses were performed: correlations, ROC curves, and three ANOVAs. The NNCT test evaluates seven cognitive areas and shows a significant and positive correlation with other tests, at total and subareas levels. Scores are established for the detection of both mild cognitive impairment and dementia, presenting optimal sensitivity and specificity. It is concluded that the NNCT test is a valid method of detection of cognitive impairment.
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