Is emotional attention a behavioral marker of amygdala alterations in alzheimer’s disease ?
Résumé
The amygdala, a limbic area crucial in potentiating emotional processing, is atrophied early in Alzheimer’s disease
(AD). Yet, the consequences of amygdala alterations on the
processing of emotional information in patients with AD
are still scarcely investigated. Recent behavioral and neuroimaging data suggest that emotional attention may be a
promising way of investigation. In this study, we were interested in assessing the link between amygdala structural
and functional alterations and automatic emotional attention toward salient features of faces. Based on previous reports in patients with amygdala lesions, we also investigated the existence of compensatory processes relying on
frontal networks and allowing the preservation of more
controlled emotional attention mechanisms. Preliminary
results will be discussed.