Della Sala S, Muggia S, Spinnler H, Zuffi M
Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, U.K.
Neuropsychologia. 1995 Jun;33(6):675-87. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(95)00009-r.
This is a prospective neuropsychological study on face processing in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim was to assess the prevalence and the nature of face processing disorders in AD, and at investigating possible inter-test dissociations within the framework of currently used face processing models. A standardized four-test battery of unknown face discrimination and familiar face recognition was given to 30 mildly deteriorated patients with AD. Half of the patients performed below the cut-off in at least one of the tests. Deficits in familiar face recognition tests were more frequently observed than deficits in unknown face discrimination tests. There was no correlation between impairment of face processing and overall cognitive impairment or visual disorders. A multiple single case approach allowed us to elicit statistically warranted double dissociations between tasks assessing unknown face discrimination and tasks assessing familiar face recognition. Moreover, the ability to decide whether or not a stimulus is a face or a non-face has proven to be a non-mandatory step to further process the face stimuli. All together, these findings support the hypothesis that distinct pathways are involved in the processing of unknown and familiar faces, as posited by Bruce and Young [Br. J. Psychol. 77, 305-327, 1986].
这是一项关于阿尔茨海默病（AD）面部加工的前瞻性神经心理学研究。目的是评估AD患者面部加工障碍的患病率和性质，并在当前使用的面部加工模型框架内研究可能的测验间分离情况。对30名轻度病情恶化的AD患者进行了一组标准化的包括陌生面孔辨别和熟悉面孔识别的四项测验。一半患者在至少一项测验中的表现低于临界值。熟悉面孔识别测验中的缺陷比陌生面孔辨别测验中的缺陷更常被观察到。面部加工受损与整体认知损害或视觉障碍之间没有相关性。一种多单病例方法使我们能够在评估陌生面孔辨别任务和评估熟悉面孔识别任务之间引出具有统计学依据的双重分离。此外，已证明判断一个刺激是面孔还是非面孔的能力并非进一步处理面孔刺激的必要步骤。总体而言，这些发现支持了如下假设：正如布鲁斯和扬[《英国心理学杂志》77, 305 - 327, 1986]所提出的，不同的通路参与陌生面孔和熟悉面孔的加工。
