Department of Psychology, Salesian Pontifical University of Rome, Rome 00139, Italy.
Department of Psychology, Walden Institute of Rome, Rome 00186, Italy.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2023 Oct 26;18(1). doi: 10.1093/scan/nsad058.
The ageing process is associated with reduced emotional recognition (ER) performance. The ER ability is an essential part of non-verbal communication, and its role is crucial for proper social functioning. Here, using the 'Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort sample', we investigated when ER, measured using a facial emotion recognition test, begins to consistently decrease along the lifespan. Moreover, using structural and functional MRI data, we identified the neural correlates associated with ER maintenance in the age groups showing early signs of ER decline (N = 283; age range: 58-89 years). The ER performance was positively correlated with greater volume in the superior parietal lobule, higher white matter integrity in the corpus callosum and greater functional connectivity in the mid-cingulate area. Our results suggest that higher ER accuracy in older people is associated with preserved gray and white matter volumes in cognitive or interconnecting areas, subserving brain regions directly involved in emotional processing.
衰老过程与情绪识别（ER）能力下降有关。ER 能力是非言语交流的重要组成部分，对于正常的社交功能至关重要。在这里，我们使用“剑桥老龄化和神经科学中心队列样本”，研究了使用面部情绪识别测试测量的 ER 何时开始沿着生命周期持续下降。此外，我们使用结构和功能磁共振成像数据，在显示 ER 下降早期迹象的年龄组中（N=283；年龄范围：58-89 岁），确定了与 ER 维持相关的神经相关性。ER 表现与顶叶上回的体积更大、胼胝体的白质完整性更高以及扣带中回的功能连接性更强呈正相关。我们的研究结果表明，老年人的 ER 准确性更高与认知或互联区域的灰质和白质体积保持有关，这些区域为直接参与情绪处理的大脑区域提供支持。
