[The neural networks of facial expression].

INTRODUCTION: Face perception involves a broad network of connections between cortical and subcortical regions for the exchange and synchronization of information using white matter fibers. This precise communication system can be affected by the structures and the pathways that connect them.

AIMS: To establish the neural substrate underlying the perception of facial expression and to analyze the different factors involved in modulating the integrity of this neural network, with the aim being to introduce improvements into rehabilitation programs.

DEVELOPMENT: When the complex neural network involved in the perception of facial expression is altered by trauma, neurodegenerative disorders, developmental disorders, social isolation or negative contexts, the adaptive capacity to interact with the environment also deteriorates.

CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining the neural network integrity responsible for processing facial expression requires considering different variables. To a greater or lesser extent, these variables modify the structure or function of neural networks, such as aerobic training, transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial electrical stimulation, and learning. These variables are affected by age, and the type and course of the condition or generator context, and raise the need for rehabilitation protocols that are adapted and designed to delimit the deficient neuronal substrate.