Resting-State Cortico-Thalamic-Striatal Connectivity Predicts Response to Dorsomedial Prefrontal rTMS in Major Depressive Disorder

Despite its high toll on society, there has been little recent improvement in treatment efficacy for major depressive disorder (MDD). The identification of biological markers of successful treatment response may allow for more personalized and effective treatment. Here we investigate whether resting-state functional connectivity predicted response to treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Twenty-five individuals with treatment-refractory MDD underwent a 4-week course of dmPFC-rTMS. Before and after treatment, subjects received resting-state functional MRI scans and assessments of depressive symptoms using the Hamilton Depresssion Rating Scale (HAMD₁₇). We found that higher baseline cortico-cortical connectivity (dmPFC-subgenual cingulate and subgenual cingulate to dorsolateral PFC) and lower cortico-thalamic, cortico-striatal, and cortico-limbic connectivity were associated with better treatment outcomes. We also investigated how changes in connectivity over the course of treatment related to improvements in HAMD₁₇ scores. We found that successful treatment was associated with increased dmPFC-thalamic connectivity and decreased subgenual cingulate cortex-caudate connectivity, Our findings provide insight into which individuals might respond to rTMS treatment and the mechanisms through which these treatments work.     

Altered Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Basolateral and Centromedial Amygdala Complexes in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The amygdala is a major structure that orchestrates defensive reactions to environmental threats and is implicated in hypervigilance and symptoms of heightened arousal in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The basolateral and centromedial amygdala (CMA) complexes are functionally heterogeneous, with distinct roles in learning and expressing fear behaviors. PTSD differences in amygdala-complex function and functional connectivity with cortical and subcortical structures remain unclear. Recent military veterans with PTSD (n=20) and matched trauma-exposed controls (n=22) underwent a resting-state fMRI scan to measure task-free synchronous blood-oxygen level dependent activity. Whole-brain voxel-wise functional connectivity of basolateral and CMA seeds was compared between groups. The PTSD group had stronger functional connectivity of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) complex with the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and dorsal ACC than the trauma-exposed control group (p<0.05; corrected). The trauma-exposed control group had stronger functional connectivity of the BLA complex with the left inferior frontal gyrus than the PTSD group (p<0.05; corrected). The CMA complex lacked connectivity differences between groups. We found PTSD modulates BLA complex connectivity with prefrontal cortical targets implicated in cognitive control of emotional information, which are central to explanations of core PTSD symptoms. PTSD differences in resting-state connectivity of BLA complex could be biasing processes in target regions that support behaviors central to prevailing laboratory models of PTSD such as associative fear learning. Further research is needed to investigate how differences in functional connectivity of amygdala complexes affect target regions that govern behavior, cognition, and affect in PTSD.     

EEG Power Asymmetry and Functional Connectivity as a Marker of Treatment Effectiveness in DBS Surgery for Depression

Recently, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been evaluated as an experimental therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Although there have been encouraging results in open-label trials, about half of the patients fail to achieve meaningful benefit. Although progress has been made in understanding the neurobiology of MDD, the ability to characterize differences in brain dynamics between those who do and do not benefit from DBS is lacking. In this study, we investigated EEG resting-state data recorded from 12 patients that have undergone DBS surgery. Of those, six patients were classified as responders to DBS, defined as an improvement of 50% or more on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17). We compared hemispheric frontal theta and parietal alpha power asymmetry and synchronization asymmetry between responders and non-responders. Hemispheric power asymmetry showed statistically significant differences between responders and non-responders with healthy controls showing an asymmetry similar to responders but opposite to non-responders. This asymmetry was characterized by an increase in frontal theta in the right hemisphere relative to the left combined with an increase in parietal alpha in the left hemisphere relative to the right in non-responders compared with responders. Hemispheric mean synchronization asymmetry showed a statistically significant difference between responders and non-responders in the theta band, with healthy controls showing an asymmetry similar to responders but opposite to non-responders. This asymmetry resulted from an increase in frontal synchronization in the right hemisphere relative to the left combined with an increase in parietal synchronization in the left hemisphere relative to the right in non-responders compared with responders. Connectivity diagrams revealed long-range differences in frontal/central-parietal connectivity between the two groups in the theta band. This pattern was observed irrespective of whether EEG data were collected with active DBS or with the DBS stimulation turned off, suggesting stable functional and possibly structural modifications that may be attributed to plasticity.     

Prefrontal Thinning Affects Functional Connectivity and Regional Homogeneity of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with structural and functional alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Enhanced ACC activity at rest (measured using various imaging methodologies) is found in treatment-responsive patients and is hypothesized to bolster treatment response by fostering adaptive rumination. However, whether structural changes influence functional coupling between fronto-cingulate regions and ACC regional homogeneity (ReHo) and whether these functional changes are related to levels of adaptive rumination and treatment response is still unclear. Cortical thickness and ReHo maps were calculated in 21 unmedicated depressed patients and 35 healthy controls. Regions with reduced cortical thickness defined the seeds for the subsequent functional connectivity (FC) analyses. Patients completed the Response Style Questionnaire, which provided a measure of adaptive rumination associated with better response to psychotherapy. Compared with controls, depressed patients showed thinning of the right anterior PFC, increased prefrontal connectivity with the supragenual ACC (suACC), and higher ReHo in the suACC. The suACC clusters of increased ReHo and FC spatially overlapped. In depressed patients, suACC ReHo scores positively correlated with PFC thickness and with FC strength. Moreover, stronger fronto-cingulate connectivity was related to higher levels of adaptive rumination. Greater suACC ReHo and connectivity with the right anterior PFC seem to foster adaptive forms of self-referential processing associated with better response to psychotherapy, whereas prefrontal thinning impairs the ability of depressed patients to engage the suACC during a major depressive episode. Bolstering the function of the suACC may represent a potential target for treatment.     

Voxel-wise Functional Connectivity of the Default Mode Network in Epilepsies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:Default Mode Network (DMN) is recognized to be involved in the generation and propagation of epileptic activities in various epilepsies. Converging evidence has suggested disturbed Functional Connectivity (FC) in epilepsies, which was inferred to be related to underlying pathological mechanisms. However, abnormal changes of FC in DMN revealed by different studies are controversial, which obscures the role of DMN in distinct epilepsies.Objective:The present work aims to investigate the voxel-wise FC in DMN across epilepsies.Methods:A systematic review was conducted on 22 published articles before October 2020, indexed in PubMed and Web of Science. A meta-analysis with a random-effect model was performed using the effect-size signed differential mapping approach. Subgroup analyses were performed in three groups: Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), mixed Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE), and mixed Focal Epilepsy (FE) with different foci.Results:The meta-analysis suggested commonly decreased FC in mesial prefrontal cortices across different epilepsies. Additionally decreased FC in posterior DMN was observed in IGE. The TLE showed decreased FC in temporal lobe regions and increased FC in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex. Interestingly, an opposite finding in the ventral and dorsal middle frontal gyrus was observed in TLE. The FE demonstrated increased FC in the cuneus.     

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Nicotine Dependence in Lebanese Adults

Emotional intelligence (EI) is known to be a risk factor for several types of addiction. The purpose of this study was to investigate, in a cross-sectional design, the presence of a relationship between the level of EI and nicotine dependence in a sample of Lebanese adults. A self-administered questionnaire was used to determine the sociodemographic characteristics, the level of nicotine dependence, and the level of EI in a sample of 142 Lebanese participants from the community. The sample was 51.4% women, with a mean age of 33.9 years. There was no difference in EI level between smokers and non-smokers (p = 0.66), and there were no associations between EI level and the level of nicotine dependence (p = 0.59). However, EI was positively correlated with age (p = 0.023). Due to the fact that smokers have been dependent on nicotine for many years and that EI is known to increase with age, findings suggest that low EI may be a risk factor for initiation, rather than maintenance, of nicotine dependence.     

Ventral Tegmental Area/Midbrain Functional Connectivity and Response to Antipsychotic Medication in Schizophrenia

Medication management in schizophrenia is a lengthy process, as the lack of clinical response can only be confirmed after at least 4 weeks of antipsychotic treatment at a therapeutic dose. Thus, there is a clear need for the discovery of biomarkers that have the potential to accelerate the management of treatment. Using resting-state functional MRI, we examined the functional connectivity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the origin of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine projections, in 21 healthy controls and 21 unmedicated patients with schizophrenia at baseline (pre-treatment) and after 1 week of treatment with the antipsychotic drug risperidone (1-week post-treatment). Group-level functional connectivity maps were obtained and group differences in connectivity were assessed on the groups'' participant-level functional connectivity maps. We also examined the relationship between pre-treatment/1-week post-treatment functional connectivity and treatment response. Compared with controls, patients exhibited significantly reduced pre-treatment VTA/midbrain connectivity to multiple cortical and subcortical regions, including the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and thalamus. After 1 week of treatment, VTA/midbrain connectivity to bilateral regions of the thalamus was re-established. Pre-treatment VTA/midbrain connectivity strength to dACC was positively correlated with good response to a 6-week course of risperidone, whereas pre-treatment VTA/midbrain connectivity strength to the default mode network was negatively correlated. Our findings suggest that VTA/midbrain resting-state connectivity may be a useful biomarker for the prediction of treatment response.     

Brain Functional Effects of Psychopharmacological Treatment in Major Depression: A Focus on Neural Circuitry of Affective Processing

In the last two decades, neuroimaging research has reached a much deeper understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of major depression (MD) and has converged on functional alterations in limbic and prefrontal neural networks, which are mainly linked to altered emotional processing observed in MD patients. To date, a considerable number of studies have sought to investigate how these neural networks change with pharmacological antidepressant treatment. In the current review, we therefore discuss results from a) pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigating the effects of selective serotonin or noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors on neural activation patterns in relation to emotional processing in healthy individuals, b) treatment studies in patients with unipolar depression assessing changes in neural activation patterns before and after antidepressant pharmacotherapy, and c) predictive neural biomarkers of clinical response in depression. Comparing results from pharmacological fMRI studies in healthy individuals and treatment studies in depressed patients nicely showed parallel findings, mainly for a reduction of limbic activation in response to negative stimuli. A thorough investigation of the empirical findings highlights the importance of the specific paradigm employed in every study which may account for some of the discrepant findings reported in treatment studies in depressed patients.     

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Human Reward System for Major Depression—Rationale,Outcomes and Outlook

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a putative approach for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has now been researched for about a decade. Several uncontrolled studies—all in relatively small patient populations and different target regions—have shown clinically relevant antidepressant effects in about half of the patients and very recently, DBS to a key structure of the reward system, the medial forebrain bundle, has yielded promising results within few days of stimulation and at much lower stimulation intensities. On the downside, DBS procedures in regions are associated with surgical risks (eg, hemorrhage) and psychiatric complications (suicidal attenuation, hypomania) as well as high costs. This overview summarizes research on the mechanisms of brain networks with respect to psychiatric diseases and—as a novelty—extrapolates to the role of the reward system in DBS for patients with treatment-resistant depression. It further evaluates relevant methodological aspects of today''s research in DBS for TRD. On the scientific side, the reward system has an important yet clearly under-recognized role in both neurobiology and treatment of depression. On the methodological side of DBS research in TRD, better animal models are clearly needed to explain clinical effects of DBS in TRD. Larger sample sizes, long-term follow-up and designs including blinded sham control are required to draw final conclusions on efficacy and side effects. Practical research issues cover study design, patient tracking, and the discussion of meaningful secondary outcome measures.     

White Matter Tract Integrity of Anterior Limb of Internal Capsule in Major Depression and Type 2 Diabetes

A number of studies have shown an association between diabetes and depression. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Previous findings indicate a role for the prefrontal cortex and subcortical gray matter regions in type 2 diabetes and major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study was to examine the white matter integrity in the fibers that are part of the anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC) in MDD and diabetic subjects using diffusion tensor imaging tractography. We studied 4 groups of subjects including 1) 42 healthy controls (HC), 2) 28 MDD subjects (MD), 3) 24 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes without depression (DC), and 4) 22 patients diagnosed with diabetes and depression (DD). Results revealed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA; P=.021) and a trend towards significant increase in radial diffusivity (RD; P=.078) of the right ALIC in depressed subjects (MD+DD) compared to non-depressed subjects (HC+DC). While there were no significant diabetes effects or interactions between depression and diabetes, subjects with high depression ratings and high hemoglobin A1c levels had the lowest mean FA values in the right ALIC. In addition, we found a significant negative correlation between FA of the left ALIC with hemoglobin A1c in diabetic subjects (DC+DD; P=.016). Our study demonstrated novel findings of white matter abnormalities of the ALIC in depression and diabetes. These findings have implications for clinical manifestations of depression and diabetes as well as their pathophysiology.     

Using Standardized fMRI Protocols to Identify Patterns of Prefrontal Circuit Dysregulation that are Common and Specific to Cognitive and Emotional Tasks in Major Depressive Disorder: First Wave Results from the iSPOT-D Study

Functional neuroimaging studies have implicated dysregulation of prefrontal circuits in major depressive disorder (MDD), and these circuits are a viable target for predicting treatment outcomes. However, because of the heterogeneity of tasks and samples used in studies to date, it is unclear whether the central dysfunction is one of prefrontal hyperreactivity or hyporeactivity. We used a standardized battery of tasks and protocols for functional magnetic resonance imaging, to identify the common vs the specific prefrontal circuits engaged by these tasks in the same 30 outpatients with MDD compared with 30 matched, healthy control participants, recruited as part of the International Study to Predict Optimized Treatment in Depression (iSPOT-D). Reflecting cognitive neuroscience theory and established evidence, the battery included cognitive tasks designed to assess functions of selective attention, sustained attention-working memory and response inhibition, and emotion tasks to assess explicit conscious and implicit nonconscious viewing of facial emotion. MDD participants were distinguished by a distinctive biosignature of: hypoactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during working memory updating and during conscious negative emotion processing; hyperactivation of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during working memory and response inhibition cognitive tasks and hypoactivation of the dorsomedial prefrontal during conscious processing of positive emotion. These results show that the use of standardized tasks in the same participants provides a way to tease out prefrontal circuitry dysfunction related to cognitive and emotional functions, and not to methodological or sample variations. These findings provide the frame of reference for identifying prefrontal biomarker predictors of treatment outcomes in MDD.     

3种抗抑郁药治疗抑郁症的药物经济学分析

目的　比较 3种抗抑郁药对抑郁症的经济效果和安全性。 方法 　选择 12 6例抑郁症病人 ,用 3种不同的药物治疗 ,分别为 A组氟西汀(百优解 2 0 mg· d- 1 )、B组帕罗西汀 (赛乐特 2 0 mg· d- 1 )、C组万拉法新 (忆诺思 75 mg· d- 1 ) ,3组均为口服给药 ,疗程 6周 ,应用药物经济学成本 -效果分析方法进行评价。 结果与结论 　 A、B、C3种方案的总成本依 2 8973 .2 8元、3 0 45 5 .0 4元、2 80 5 6.0 0元 ,痊愈率分别为 60 %、65 %、70 % ,有效率分别为 72 .5 %、75 %、82 .5 %。 C方案痊愈率、有效率的成本 -效果比均最低。 C方案为最佳治疗方案     

Quantitative Tract-Specific Measures of Uncinate and Cingulum in Major Depression Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Previous findings suggested the role of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus in major depressive disorders (MDD), but the white matter microstructural abnormalities of the fibers connecting these brain structures are not known. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that white matter abnormalities are present in association fibers of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and cingulum bundle (CB) among MDD subjects. A total of 21 MDD subjects aged between 30 and 65 years and 21 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All subjects were right-handed and without history of diabetes or other cardiac diseases. We extracted quantitative tract-specific measures based on diffusion tensor imaging tractography to examine both diffusivity and geometric properties of the UF and CB. Significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity of the right UF were observed in MDD patients compared with HC (p<0.05), while their geometric characteristics remained relatively unchanged. Among MDD subjects, depression severity had a significant negative correlation with normalized number of fibers (NNF) in the right UF (r=−0.53, p=0.02). We also found significant age effect (old<young) in HC group and laterality effect (L>R) in both groups in the FA measure of the CB. Our study demonstrates novel findings of white matter microstructural abnormalities of the right UF in MDD. In the MDD group, the severity of depression is associated with reduced NNF in the right UF. These findings have implications for both clinical manifestations of depression as well as its pathophysiology.     

Effect of Genetic Variant in BICC1 on Functional and Structural Brain Changes in Depression

Genes and early-life adversity (ELA) interactively increase the risk of developing major depressive disorder (MDD). A recent genome-wide association study suggests that the minor T-allele of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the bicaudal C homolog 1 gene (BICC1) has a protective role against MDD. The aims of the study were to investigate whether the minor T-allele of BICC1 is protective against hippocampal structural brain changes, whether it is associated with increased functional brain activity in the emotion regulation system, and how ELA would modify this association. Forty-four patients with MDD and 44 healthy controls were investigated using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI with an emotion inhibition task. Analysis of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the BICC1-1 (rs999845) gene was performed. Right hippocampal bodies of patients and controls without a history of ELA and who carry the protective T-allele of BICC1 were significantly larger compared with those participants homozygous for the major C-allele of BICC1. However, MDD patients with ELA, who carry the T-allele, had smaller hippocampal head volumes compared with MDD patients without ELA. FMRI showed that patients and controls carrying the protective T-allele of BICC1 activate the emotion regulation system significantly more compared with those participants homozygous for the major C-allele (p<0.05, family wise error corrected). These results are suggestive that the minor T-allele of BICC1 has a protective role against MDD and its known structural and functional brain changes. However, this protective effect seems to be lost in the case of co-occurrence of ELA.     

Resting Glutamate Levels and Rapid Glutamate Transients in the Prefrontal Cortex of the Flinders Sensitive Line Rat: A Genetic Rodent Model of Depression

Despite the numerous drugs targeting biogenic amines for major depressive disorder (depression), the search for novel therapeutics continues because of their poor response rates (∼30%) and slow onset of action (2–4 weeks). To better understand role of glutamate in depression, we used an enzyme-based microelectrode array (MEA) that was selective for glutamate measures with fast temporal (2 Hz) and high spatial (15 × 333 μm) resolution. These MEAs were chronically implanted into the prefrontal cortex of 3- to 6-month-old and 12- to 15-month-old Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) and control Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) rats, a validated genetic rodent model of depression. Although no changes in glutamate dynamics were observed between 3 and 6 months FRL and FSL rats, a significant increase in resting glutamate levels was observed in the 12- to 15-month-old FSL rats compared with the 3- to 6-month-old FSL and age-matched FRL rats on days 3–5 post-implantation. Our MEA also recorded, for the first time, a unique phenomenon in all the four rat groups of fluctuations in resting glutamate, which we have termed glutamate transients. Although these events lasted only for seconds, they did occur throughout the testing paradigm. The average concentration of these glutamate-burst events was significantly increased in the 12- to 15-month-old FSL rats compared with 3- to 6-month-old FSL and age-matched FRL rats. These studies lay the foundation for future studies of both tonic and phasic glutamate signaling in rat models of depression to better understand the potential role of glutamate signaling in depression.     

Genetic Deletion of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Alters Emotional Behavior and Serotonergic Transmission in the Dorsal Raphe, Prefrontal Cortex, and Hippocampus

Pharmacological blockade of the anandamide-degrading enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), produces CB₁ receptor (CB₁R)-mediated analgesic, anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effects in murids. Using behavioral and electrophysiological approaches, we have characterized the emotional phenotype and serotonergic (5-HT) activity of mice lacking the FAAH gene in comparison to their wild type counterparts, and their response to a challenge of the CB₁R antagonist, rimonabant. FAAH null-mutant (FAAH^−/−) mice exhibited reduced immobility in the forced swim and tail suspension tests, predictive of antidepressant activity, which was attenuated by rimonabant. FAAH^−/− mice showed an increase in the duration of open arm visits in the elevated plus maze, and a decrease in thigmotaxis and an increase in exploratory rearing displayed in the open field, indicating anxiolytic-like effects that were reversed by rimonabant. Rimonabant also prolonged the initiation of feeding in the novelty-suppressed feeding test. Electrophysiological recordings revealed a marked 34.68% increase in dorsal raphe 5-HT neural firing that was reversed by rimonabant in a subset of neurons exhibiting high firing rates (33.15% mean decrease). The response of the prefrontocortical pyramidal cells to the 5-HT_2A/2C agonist (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane ((±)-DOI) revealed desensitized 5-HT_2A/2C receptors, likely linked to the observed anxiolytic-like behaviors. The hippocampal pyramidal response to the 5-HT_1A antagonist, WAY-100635, indicates enhanced tonus on the hippocampal 5-HT_1A heteroreceptors, a hallmark of antidepressant-like action. Together, these results suggest that FAAH genetic deletion enhances anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effects, paralleled by altered 5-HT transmission and postsynaptic 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2A/2C receptor function.     

A Double-Blind Comparison of Sertraline and Imipramine in Outpatients with Major Depression: Acute (8 Weeks) and Continuation (16 Weeks) Treatment

In a double-blind multicentre trial in patients with major depression, the efficacy and the tolerability of sertraline were compared to those of imipramine, during an 8-week acute treatment phase followed by a 16-week continuation treatment phase in treatment responders. A total of 104 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for major depression, HAM-D 17-item≥18 and Raskin Depression score>Covi Anxiety score, were randomized to receive either sertraline or imipramine. The initial daily dosage of 50 mg of sertraline or imipramine was rapidly titrated upwards in increments of 50 mg/day at weekly intervals, tolerability permitting, to a maximum of 200 mg/day by the fourth week. Eighty-eight patients completed at least 3 weeks of treatment and were included in the efficacy evaluable population. Both treatment groups demonstrated similar improvements on depression and anxiety rating scales during acute treatment, however, sertraline demonstrated significantly more improvement relative to imipramine on the HAM-D and Covi Anxiety scales after 1 week of treatment. Sertraline was more effective (HAM-D 17-item, CGI-S, SCL-56 Total score, SCL-56 Depression score, Covi Anxiety score) than imipramine in reducing depressive symptoms at the end of 24 weeks of treatment. There were significant improvements in all rating scales at week 24 relative to week 8 in the sertraline group but not in the imipramine group. The SCL-56 Total score, SCL-56 Depression score, Raskin Depression score and Covi Anxiety score at week 24 relative to week 8 showed significantly greater improvement in the sertraline group compared to the imipramine group. Imipramine was associated with a significantly higher incidence of dry mouth, sweating, constipation, palpitations, and a significantly higher heart rate and blood pressure. Sertraline was associated with a significantly higher incidence of diarrhoea/loose stools and insomnia. This study demonstrated a faster onset of therapeutic effect for sertraline relative to imipramine, reflecting the initiation of sertraline in a therapeutic dose of 50 mg/day and the need for gradual titration of imipramine to a therapeutic dose, at the beginning of treatment. Although efficacy was similar in both treatment groups at the end of the 8 weeks of acute therapy, sertraline-treated patients continued to manifest gradual improvements in depressive and anxiety symptoms during the 16 weeks of continuation therapy such that sertraline-treated patients were significantly more improved at the end of 24 weeks of therapy. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotional Intelligence and Acculturation to the United States: Interactions on the Perceived Social Consequences of Smoking in Early Adolescents

High emotional intelligence (EI) is associated with decreased adolescent smoking. Acculturation to the United States is a risk factor for adolescent smoking. High EI may buffer the relationship between acculturation to the United States and perceptions of the social consequences of smoking (PSC).

Emotional intelligence is the ability to: accurately perceive, appraise, and express emotion; access and/or generate feelings in facilitating thought; understand emotion and emotional knowledge; and regulate emotions. Emotional intelligence (measured by the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale, Adolescent Version), acculturation, and PSC were assessed in 2001 from 416 Southern California sixth graders (47% boys; mean age = 11.3 yrs; 32% Hispanic/ Latino, 29% Asian/Pacific Islander, 13% White, 19% Multiethnic, 6% Other).

There was a significant EI × US acculturation interaction (p < 0.01) suggesting that those with high EI perceived more social consequences associated with smoking. As the U.S. population becomes increasingly diversified, identifying protective variables and designing effective prevention programs for adolescents of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds becomes important.