RATING THE APPROACHABILITY OF FACES IN ALS

I read the article by Schmolck et al. with interest.1 The authors demonstrate the trusting nature of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) when confronted with threatening-looking individuals in a potentially dangerous situation. Responses to the particular question used in the study reflect a combination of threat perception as well as a willingness to subject oneself to the perceived risk (attack by the threatening individual) in order to achieve the perceived benefit (receipt of directions resulting in a swift return to familiar surroundings). Although this abnormal response may, as the authors postulate, indicate bilateral amygdala dysfunction, perhaps the differences observed between the ALS group and the combined control group are the product of alternative factors: