Face Processing Impairments in Dementia Syndromes: A Systematic Review

Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment

Face processing abilities are critical for social interaction, yet impairments are common across dementia syndromes and constitute a core diagnostic feature of some neurocognitive disorders. These abilities encompass multiple interrelated processes, including face perception,memory, and semantics. Until now, most existing individual dementia studies examined components of face processing in isolation, limiting an integrated understanding of how these deficits manifest. To address this gap, this systematic review examined domain- and syndrome-specific patterns of face processing impairment in dementia. Eligible studies were primary experimental studies published in English or French that assessed perceptual, memory, or semantic face- or person-processing in individuals with dementia compared with healthy controls. The search identified 99 eligible articles, encompassing 3,810 patients, 216 face-processing tasks, and 13 dementia syndromes, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), semantic dementia (SD), behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and others. Semantic tasks were most frequently studied (49.5%), followed by perceptual (31.9%) and memory tasks (18.5%). Results revealed distinct syndrome-specific profiles. AD showed impairment spanning perceptual, memory, and semantic domains, but showed more severe memory impairment overall. SD and its variants showed largely preserved perceptual processing but pronounced semantic impairment, with right-temporal variant frontotemporal dementia (rtvFTD) showing greater difficulty with familiarity and semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) showing greater difficulty with naming. BvFTD showed relatively preserved face processing. Findings for other syndromeswere limited by sparse literature. Overall, perceptual impairment tended to be accompanied by memory and semantic deficits, while semantic impairment could occur independently of perceptual dysfunction, consistent with a hierarchical, partly dissociable organization of face processing. These findings support integrating face processing assessments into clinical practice to refine differential diagnosis, track disease progression, and guide targeted, process-based interventions.

Key findings

• Eligible studies were primary experimental studies published in English or French that assessed perceptual, memory, or semantic face- or person-processing in individuals with dementia compared with healthy controls.
• Results revealed distinct syndrome-specific profiles.
• AD showed impairment spanning perceptual, memory, and semantic domains, but showed more severe memory impairment overall.
• Overall, perceptual impairment tended to be accompanied by memory and semantic deficits, while semantic impairment could occur independently of perceptual dysfunction, consistent with a hierarchical, partly dissociable organization of face processing.
• These findings support integrating face processing assessments into clinical practice to refine differential diagnosis, track disease progression, and guide targeted, process-based interventions.

Study details

• Study designsystematic review
• Participants3,810
• Effect size49.5%; 31.9%; 18.5%
• Evidence strengthHigh

Read the original

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/9rqf7_v1
• Original source →

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@article{leclerc2026-1f4da695,
  author  = {Leclerc, M. and Krohn, V. and Beaudoin, M. and Joubert, S. and Montembeault, M.},
  title   = {{Face Processing Impairments in Dementia Syndromes: A Systematic Review}},
  journal = {PsyArXiv},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.31234/osf.io/9rqf7_v1},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/9rqf7_v1}
}

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