Emotional Perception and Production in Facial Palsy: Respiratory, Vocal and Facial Markers.

Respiratory function, phonation and facial expressivity are related to emotional reaction through neurophysiological process. Specific emotional respiratory, vocal and facial patterns had been described in literature. Respiratory cycles variation is modulated by stimulus arousal. Furthermore, inspiratory-to-expiratory time ratio in abdominal area is modulated by emotional valence. Inextricably linked to respiration, vocal production depends on emotional arousal and valence too.

According to embodied cognition, the effector pattern of an emotion initiates the corresponding subjective activation. Facial recognition is influenced by automatic mimicry and facial feedback. Most facial feedback studies included patients with diplegia but few studies dealt with emotional perception in Bell's palsy.

The aim of the present study is to understand production and perception of emotion in Bell's palsy with respiratory, vocal and facial markers. What impact lack of mimicry have on physiological emotional reaction in Bell's palsy? To this end, prospective monocentric study will be conducted with 60 patients with Bell's Palsy from grade II to grade VI of House & Brackmann's scale. During production and perception of vocal and facial expression, respiratory rate and thoraco-abdominal movements will be analyzed. The investigators hypothesize that severity of facial deficit is negatively correlated with variation of respiratory cycles, lower segmental and suprasegmental changes during vocal expression, and lower facial perception (congruency and arousal).