Anosognosia in Neurodegenerative Disease
Neurologic injury is sometimes accompanied by a striking lack of awareness of deficits, a phenomenon referred to as anosognosia. This problem has serious emotional and functional impacts. Despite its importance, the mechanisms leading to anosognosia are still poorly understood. This project examines several processes including performance monitoring, emotional processing during cognitive testing, and performance evaluation in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as healthy older controls. People affected by FTD typically show significant deficits in awareness for changes that have occurred in the the course of their disease and those with Alzheimer's disease often show fluctuating awareness for certain deficits. The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the types of awareness that are affected in neurodegenerative disease and what brain regions or systems may be involved in those deficits.
Neurologic injury is sometimes accompanied by a striking lack of awareness of deficits, a phenomenon referred to as anosognosia. This problem has serious emotional and functional impacts. Despite its importance, the mechanisms leading to anosognosia are still poorly understood. This project examines several processes including performance monitoring, emotional processing during cognitive testing, and performance evaluation in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as healthy older controls. People affected by FTD typically show significant deficits in awareness for changes that have occurred in the the course of their disease and those with Alzheimer's disease often show fluctuating awareness for certain deficits. The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the types of awareness that are affected in neurodegenerative disease and what brain regions or systems may be involved in those deficits.
Altered Awareness in Psychiatric Disorders (Pilot Project)
In addition to looking at awareness in neuodgenerative disease, we have also begun looking at awareness deficits in psychiatric disorders. Unlike with neurodegenerative disease, decreases in awareness are typically less pronounced in psychiatric disorders, and with this pilot project we are attempting to find ways to measure these changes. As with the anosognosia project, we are examining several processes including performance monitoring, emotional processing during cognitive testing, and performance evaluation in patient groups to determine if there are differences between them and age-matched control participants.
In addition to looking at awareness in neuodgenerative disease, we have also begun looking at awareness deficits in psychiatric disorders. Unlike with neurodegenerative disease, decreases in awareness are typically less pronounced in psychiatric disorders, and with this pilot project we are attempting to find ways to measure these changes. As with the anosognosia project, we are examining several processes including performance monitoring, emotional processing during cognitive testing, and performance evaluation in patient groups to determine if there are differences between them and age-matched control participants.
Emotion in Neurodegenerative Disease
Social and emotional changes are common yet poorly understood features of neurodegenerative disease. The primary diseases that we study are FTD and AD, diseases that target distinct neural networks. In FTD, behavioral changes are core symptoms and occur early in the disease while in AD, social functioning and emotion may be spared until later in the disease course. One aim of our work is to identify the areas of emotional preservation and loss in FTD and AD using multi-modal measures of emotion that are grounded in basic affective science.
Social and emotional changes are common yet poorly understood features of neurodegenerative disease. The primary diseases that we study are FTD and AD, diseases that target distinct neural networks. In FTD, behavioral changes are core symptoms and occur early in the disease while in AD, social functioning and emotion may be spared until later in the disease course. One aim of our work is to identify the areas of emotional preservation and loss in FTD and AD using multi-modal measures of emotion that are grounded in basic affective science.
Neuroanatomy of emotion
Emotions imbue meaning in our everyday lives, signalling to us when to we should distance ourselves from danger or approach a friendly face. Disruptions in the neural systems that support emotion generation, understanding, and regulation may give to affective symptoms. We integrate psychophysiological and behavioral data from our laboratory assessments with magnetic resonance imaging techniques in order to examine how neurodegeneration of neural networks give rise to specific emotional deficits.
Emotions imbue meaning in our everyday lives, signalling to us when to we should distance ourselves from danger or approach a friendly face. Disruptions in the neural systems that support emotion generation, understanding, and regulation may give to affective symptoms. We integrate psychophysiological and behavioral data from our laboratory assessments with magnetic resonance imaging techniques in order to examine how neurodegeneration of neural networks give rise to specific emotional deficits.
Odor and Reward
Behavioral changes in neurodegenerative disease often suggest a shift in what individuals find rewarding and want to pursue or what they find unpleasant and try to avoid. These behaviors are linked to known brain circuits. Our research explores the response to a variety of rewards, including smells and pictures, in order to better understand the behavior changes in diseases such as FTD and AD.
Behavioral changes in neurodegenerative disease often suggest a shift in what individuals find rewarding and want to pursue or what they find unpleasant and try to avoid. These behaviors are linked to known brain circuits. Our research explores the response to a variety of rewards, including smells and pictures, in order to better understand the behavior changes in diseases such as FTD and AD.
