Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychology: Cognition and Behavior, University of Liège, Belgium | [b] Cyclotron Research Center, University of Liège, Belgium | [c] Memory Clinic, CHU Liège, Belgium
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Evelyne Moyse, Department of Psychology: Cognition and Behavior, University of Liège, Boulevard du Rectorat, 5 (Bat. B32), 4000 Liège, Belgium. Tel.: +32 04 3663180; Fax: +32 04 3662859; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: A prerequisite for any function in social cognition is the perception and processing of social cues. Age estimation is a skill that is used in everyday life and is fundamental in social interactions. This study evaluated whether facial age estimation is impaired in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current age of faces is known to have an impact on age estimation, and therefore stimuli belonging to different age groups (young, middle-aged, and older adults' faces) were used. As expected, an impairment of age estimation from faces was observed in mild to moderate AD patients. However, the profile of impairment depended on the age of faces and stage of the disease. Mild AD patients presented difficulties mainly in assessing the age of middle-aged adults. In moderate disease stage, these difficulties also affected the age estimation of young adult faces. Interestingly, AD patients remained relatively good at estimating the age of older adults' faces, compared to healthy controls.
Keywords: Age discrimination, Alzheimer's disease, face, social perception
