[Recognition of conventional and emotional facial expressions in patients with cortical lesions (author's transl)].

Recognition of facial expressions was studied in a group of patients with cortical lesions. The test which was used consists in designating 30 expressions upon verbal command. Fifteen items had an emotional characteristic, and fifteen had a conventional characteristic (with an intentional communicative aspect). Results showed that right hemisphere patients had a elective deficit for emotional expressions. Left hemisphere patients had a elective deficit for conventional expressions. Analysis of correlations with associated clinical deficits showed further, that the deficit was associated, in right hemisphere patients, with lesions giving rise to Unilateral Spatial Agnosia. In left hemisphere patients it was associated with posterior lesions outside of the language area.