# brain: 'moral emotions' as a hypotetical diagnostic tool for dementia

AA << shows a particularly marked impairment of moral emotions in patients with frontotemporal dementia  >>

<< Frontotemporal dementia is a cognitive and behavioral disease caused by degenerative alteration of anterior regions of the brain. The disease is characterized by behavioral disorders such as a progressive apathy, loss of interest, social withdrawal, loss of inhibition and the processing of emotions. >>

AA << have known for a long time that these patients demonstrate impairment of emotion recognition and of theory of mind i.e. the ability to figure out the mental states of others: what they think, what they feel, what they like ... >>

<< Moral emotions can be defined as  "affective experiences promoting cooperation and group cohesion" including emotions such as admiration, shame or pity. >>

<< The results show that moral emotions are much more impaired than emotions without moral valence. In contrast, patients with Alzheimer's disease had no impairment as compared to healthy subjects and they had similar performance with moral and extra-moral emotions. >>

Moral emotions, a diagnotic tool for frontotemporal dementia? IOS Press. Jun 14, 2019.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-06/ip-mea061419.php  

Teichmann Marc, Daigmorte Chloe', et al. Moral Emotions in Frontotemporal Dementia. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 69, no. 3, pp. 887-896, 2019. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180991. Jun 4, 2019

https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad180991