Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Reaction and movement times in individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury with good motor recovery.
Reaction times and movement times were studied in 18 individuals with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 36 matched normal controls. Reaction times depended on the type of task: in the case of simple visual stimuli (Alertness condition) they were similar in individuals with TBI and normal controls. ⋯ Regardless of task, movement times depended on movement length and were slower in individuals with TBI. These findings indicate the presence of a residual motor programming deficit in individuals with TBI even in the chronic stage and in the presence of good motor recovery, as assessed clinically.
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Neuropsychological studies reported that bilateral amygdala-damaged patients had impaired recognition of facial expressions of fear. However, the specificity of this impairment remains unclear. To address this issue, we carried out two experiments concerning the recognition of facial expression in a patient with bilateral amygdala damage (HY). ⋯ HY categorized the morphed fearful and angry expressions blended with some happy content as happy facial expressions more frequently than normal controls. These findings support the idea that amygdala-damaged patients have impaired processing of facial expressions relating to certain negative emotions, particularly fear and anger. More specifically, amygdala-damaged patients seem to give positively biased evaluations for these negative facial expressions.