Reduced facial expression commonly seen in Parkinson disease.

• A. Grooming and Hygiene
• B. Facial Expression
• C. Masked Facies
• D. Blunted Affect

Answer: (C)

Parkinson disease commonly causes hypomimia, a reduction in spontaneous facial movement, producing a mask-like, expressionless face. This expressionless appearance, often called masked facies, comes from bradykinesia and rigidity of the facial muscles, leading to little facial animation or blinking despite what the person is feeling. The term masked facies specifically captures this motor-origin change in PD, making it the most precise label for this finding. In contrast, blunted affect refers to a reduced display of emotion in mood or personality disorders, not the motor-limited facial movement seen in PD, and grooming and hygiene describe self-care rather than facial expressiveness. A generic phrase like facial expression is too nonspecific to identify the PD-related change.