An ERP study on facial emotion processing in young people with subjective memory complaints

Abstract

Subjective memory complaints (SMCs) are commonly related to aging, but they are also presented by young adults. Their neurophysiological mechanisms are not thoroughly understood, although some aspects related to affective state have been mentioned. Here, we investigated whether facial emotion processing is different in young people with (n = 41) and without (n = 39) SMCs who were exposed to positive, negative, and neutral faces, by recording the event-related potential (ERP) activity. From the ERP activity, the N170 (an index of face processing) and the LPP (an index of motivated attention) components were extracted. Regarding the N170, results showed less amplitude for positive and neutral faces in the participants with SMCs than in those without SMCs. Moreover, women with SMCs displayed longer latencies for neutral faces than women without SMCs. No significant differences were found between the groups in the LPP component. Together, our findings suggest deficits in an early stage of facial emotion processing in young people with SMCs, and they emphasize the importance of further examining affective dimensions.

Subjective Memory Complaints and Decision Making in Young and Older Adults: An Event-Related Potential Study

“… Lozoya-Delgado et al (2012) showed that 21 was the mean score on this questionnaire in a sample of 900 Spanish participants. Based on this result and our previous study ( Perez et al, 2021 ), participants with a score of 21 or higher on the MFE-30 were included in the SMCs group. Participants who scored below 21 were included in the group with no SMCs (noSMCs).…”

Others’ Facial Expressions Influence Individuals Making Choices and Processing Feedback: The Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Evidence

“…Additionally, gender was also investigated in the present study, as it was also an important facial clue. Compared with the latest recent research about facial expressions [15], the present research used the TG paradigm, which created a more realistic decision-making environment. Therefore, the result would be beneficial for guiding individuals to make rational decisions in real social interactions.…”

“…Therefore, the result would be beneficial for guiding individuals to make rational decisions in real social interactions. Meanwhile, the study [15] focused on the gender of the participants. By contrast, we extended the study [15] by exploring the effect of the partner's gender on decision making.…”

“…Meanwhile, the study [15] focused on the gender of the participants. By contrast, we extended the study [15] by exploring the effect of the partner's gender on decision making.…”