Capgras delusion is explained by disruption between which neural systems?

Capgras delusion is explained by disruption between which neural systems?

• A. Disconnection Between Visual Areas And The Amygdala
• B. Increased Connectivity Between Visual Areas And The Amygdala
• C. Damage To The Visual Cortex
• D. Enhanced Emotional Responsiveness To Familiar Faces

Answer: (A)

Capgras delusion arises when the brain’s systems for recognizing a face and for feeling its emotional significance are not communicating properly. Normally, seeing a familiar face activates the visual recognition pathways and automatically triggers an emotional response via the amygdala. In Capgras, there’s a disruption between these visual processing areas and the amygdala, so a familiar face is recognized visually but doesn’t elicit the usual emotional familiarity. That mismatch can lead to the unsettling conclusion that the person is not really who they appear to be, i.e., an impostor. Why this fits better than the other ideas: if there were increased connectivity or enhanced emotional responsiveness, the person would likely experience stronger, not delusional, emotional reactions to familiar faces. Damage to the visual cortex would impair basic face perception rather than create the specific belief about impostor identity. And simply enhancing emotional responses to familiar faces wouldn’t produce the disjunction between recognition and emotion that underpins Capgras.

Capgras delusion arises when the brain’s systems for recognizing a face and for feeling its emotional significance are not communicating properly. Normally, seeing a familiar face activates the visual recognition pathways and automatically triggers an emotional response via the amygdala. In Capgras, there’s a disruption between these visual processing areas and the amygdala, so a familiar face is recognized visually but doesn’t elicit the usual emotional familiarity. That mismatch can lead to the unsettling conclusion that the person is not really who they appear to be, i.e., an impostor.

Why this fits better than the other ideas: if there were increased connectivity or enhanced emotional responsiveness, the person would likely experience stronger, not delusional, emotional reactions to familiar faces. Damage to the visual cortex would impair basic face perception rather than create the specific belief about impostor identity. And simply enhancing emotional responses to familiar faces wouldn’t produce the disjunction between recognition and emotion that underpins Capgras.