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dc.contributor.authorAboutalebi, Jubin
dc.contributor.authorGallo, Federico
dc.contributor.authorFedeli, Davide
dc.contributor.authorHoudayer, Elise
dc.contributor.authorZangrillo, Federica
dc.contributor.authorEmedoli, Daniele
dc.contributor.authorSpina, Alfio
dc.contributor.authorBellini, Camilla
dc.contributor.authorDel Maschio, Nicola
dc.contributor.authorIannaccone, Sandro
dc.contributor.authorAlemanno, Federica
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-03T07:18:33Z
dc.date.available2024-09-03T07:18:33Z
dc.date.issued2024-01-26
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted public health and our lifestyles, leading to new social adaptations such as quarantine, social distancing, and facial masks. Face masks, covering extended facial zones, hamper our ability to extract relevant socio-emotional information from others’ faces. In this fMRI study, we investigated how face masks interfere with facial emotion recognition, focusing on brain responses and connectivity patterns as a function of the presence of a face mask.<p> <p>Methods: A total of 25 healthy participants (13F; mean age: 32.64  ±  7.24y; mean education: 18.28  ±  1.31y) were included. Participants underwent task-related fMRI during the presentation of images of faces expressing basic emotions (joy or fear versus neutral expression). Half of the faces were covered by a face mask. Subjects had to recognize the facial emotion (masked or unmasked). FMRI whole-brain and regions-of-interest analyses were performed, as well as psychophysiological interaction analysis (PPI). <p>Results: Subjects recognized better and faster emotions on unmasked faces. FMRI analyses showed that masked faces induced a stronger activation of a right occipito-temporal cluster, including the fusiform gyrus and the occipital face area bilaterally. The same activation pattern was found for the neutral masked  >  neutral unmasked contrast. PPI analyses of the masked  >  unmasked contrast showed, in the right occipital face area, a stronger correlation with the left superior frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, left superior parietal lobe, and the right supramarginal gyrus. <p>Discussion: Our study showed how our brain differentially struggles to recognize face-masked basic emotions, implementing more neural resources to correctly categorize those incomplete facial expressions.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAboutalebi, Gallo, Fedeli, Houdayer, Zangrillo, Emedoli, Spina, Bellini, Del Maschio, Iannaccone, Alemanno. On the brain struggles to recognize basic facial emotions with face masks: an fMRI study. Frontiers in Psychology. 2024;15en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 2249597
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1339592
dc.identifier.issn1664-1078
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/34501
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherFrontiers Mediaen_US
dc.relation.journalFrontiers in Psychology
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2024 The Author(s)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)en_US
dc.titleOn the brain struggles to recognize basic facial emotions with face masks: an fMRI studyen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)