The Facial Expression of Emotion Laboratory (FEELab), from the Faculty of Medicine of the Fernando Pessoa University, presented on April 16th, in Porto, the results of a 20-year longitudinal investigation on Alzheimer's Disease, conducted under the coordination of Professor Dr. Freitas-Magalhães.

This pioneering international study shows that facial expressions of emotion remain preserved even in advanced stages of the disease, despite progressive cognitive decline. The research followed patients for two decades, analyzing expressive patterns using scientific facial coding methodologies.
The results now presented are summarized in the book "Alzheimer's: The Brain, the Face, and Emotion," published in Portuguese and English editions, a work that proposes a new scientific understanding of the disease by integrating neuroscience, medicine, psychology, facial expression, and emotion.

This publication is a landmark in the study of the relationship between brain degeneration and emotional communication, and has been described as "a profoundly human work that invites us to look beyond forgetfulness.".
According to the data presented, neuroemotional circuits demonstrate significant resistance to degeneration, allowing patients to continue expressing emotions in a way that is consistent with their internal states, such as fear, joy, and pain. “Emotion doesn't disappear with the disease. What is lost is the ability to organize it cognitively, but the face continues to express what the brain can no longer verbalize,” stated Professor Freitas-Magalhães.

The research also highlights the role of neuromicroexpressions as sensitive indicators of emotional state, particularly in phases where verbal communication is compromised. "The face becomes the patient's last channel of emotional communication with the world," emphasized the Director of FEELab/UFP.
The clinical implications are broad, with a direct impact on the assessment of pain, emotional distress, and well-being in Alzheimer's patients. Systematic reading of facial expressions could contribute to more tailored interventions and greater humanization of healthcare.
“We are facing a paradigm shift: clinical assessment cannot depend solely on what the patient says, but also on what the face reveals,” argued Professor Freitas-Magalhães, adding that “the integration of facial coding into clinical practice could transform the way we care for these patients.”.

Beyond clinical practice, the results open new perspectives for the training of healthcare professionals, the development of artificial intelligence systems for emotional monitoring, and the creation of innovative, person-centered protocols.
This research reinforces the role of FEELab/UFP and the Fernando Pessoa University at the forefront of the neuroscience of emotion, affirming the face as an essential biomarker of human experience, even in contexts of profound neurodegenerative disease.