How reward modulates mimicry: EMG evidence of greater facial mimicry of more rewarding happy faces

Spontaneous mimicry is a marker of empathy. Conditions characterized by reduced spontaneous mimicry (e.g., autism) also display deficits in sensitivity to social rewards. We tested if spontaneous mimicry of socially rewarding stimuli (happy faces) depends on the reward value of stimuli in 32 typical participants. An evaluative conditioning paradigm was used to associate different reward values with neutral target faces. Subsequently, electromyographic activity over the Zygomaticus Major was measured whilst participants watched video clips of the faces making happy expressions. Higher Zygomaticus Major activity was found in response to happy faces conditioned with high reward versus low reward. Moreover, autistic traits in the general population modulated the extent of spontaneous mimicry of happy faces. This suggests a link between reward and spontaneous mimicry and provides a possible underlying mechanism for the reduced response to social rewards seen in autism.     

Affect-related personality traits and contextual interference processing during perception of facial affect

We investigated the influence of different personality dimensions on neural emotional conflict processing. A cluster analysis separated two different subsamples of subjects. One sample scored high on neuroticism, anxiety, depressivity and low on extraversion and was found to be highly sensitive to emotional conflicts during processing of negative and positive expressions. This sample revealed increased conflict induced activation in the amygdala during processing of negative expressions which was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressivity. This amygdala activity was positively coupled with activity in dACC during processing of neutral expressions and negatively coupled in the sample with opposite personality scores. Depressivity was also associated with activation in subgenual ACC. Increased activation in subgenual ACC was also found during processing of positive expressions. This activation as well as activation in rostral ACC was higher in lower extraversion scores. In summary, individuals with higher neuroticism, anxiety, depressivity scores and low extraversion scores are sensitive to emotional conflicts during the processing of emotional expressions. Furthermore, emotional conflict resolution might challenge emotional regulative mechanisms in these subjects which became evident by increased activations in different subregions of the ACC.     

Sociality of facial expressions in immersive virtual environments: a facial EMG study

Immersive virtual environment technology is increasingly used by psychologists as a tool for researching social influence in realistic, yet experimentally controllable, settings. The present study demonstrates the validity and reliability of facial electromyography as a marker of affect in immersive virtual environments and further shows that the mere presence of virtual humans is enough to elicit sociality effects on facial expressiveness. Participants viewed pleasant and unpleasant images in a virtual room either alone or with two virtual humans present. The patterns of smiling and frowning activity elicited by positive and negative stimuli in the virtual environment were the same as those found in laboratory settings. Moreover, when viewing positive stimuli, smiling activity was greater when two agents were present than in the alone condition. The results provide new psychophysiological evidence for the potency of social agents in immersive virtual environments.     

Conditioning with facial expressions of emotion: Effects of CS sex and age

Two experiments examined the effects of facial expressions of emotion as conditioned stimuli (CSs) on human electrodermal conditioning and on a continuous measure of expectancy of the shock unconditioned stimulus. In Experiment 1, the CS+ was a picture of a person displaying an angry face and CS? was a neutral face. For half of the subjects, the expressions were depicted by males, for the other half by females. Male subjects showed larger skin conductance responses to pictures of males than did females. The responding of female subjects was the same regardless of the sex of the person in the picture. In Experiment 2, the CS+ and CS? were pictures of an angry or a happy face. For half of the subjects, the expressions were depicted by adult males, for the other half by preadolescent males, Subjects displayed greater differentiation when an adult male depicting anger was employed as the CS+ than when a preadolescent male depicting anger was the CS+. There were no differences when an adult or a child displayed happiness.     

Subnormal short-latency facial mimicry responses to dynamic emotional facial expressions in male adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders and callous-unemotional traits

Using still pictures of emotional facial expressions as experimental stimuli, reduced amygdala responses or impaired recognition of basic emotions were repeatedly found in people with psychopathic traits. The amygdala also plays an important role in short-latency facial mimicry responses. Since dynamic emotional facial expressions may have higher ecological validity than still pictures, we compared short-latency facial mimicry responses to dynamic and static emotional expressions between adolescents with psychopathic traits and normal controls. Facial EMG responses to videos or still pictures of emotional expressions (happiness, anger, sadness, fear) were measured. Responses to 500-ms dynamic expressions in videos, as well as the subsequent 1500-ms phase of maximal (i.e., static) expression, were compared between male adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders and high (n = 14) or low (n = 17) callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and normal control subjects (n = 32). Responses to still pictures were also compared between groups. EMG responses to dynamic expressions were generally significantly smaller in the high-CU group than in the other two groups, which generally did not differ. These group differences gradually emerged during the 500-ms stimulus presentation period but in general they were already seen a few hundred milliseconds after stimulus onset. Group differences were absent during the 1500-ms phase of maximal expression and during exposure to still pictures. Subnormal short-latency mimicry responses to dynamic emotional facial expressions in the high-CU group might have negative consequences for understanding emotional facial expressions of others during daily life when human facial interactions are primarily dynamic.     

Respiratory kinematics by optoelectronic plethysmography during exercise in men and women

Gender differences in resting pulmonary function are attributable to the smaller lung volumes in women relative to men. We sought to investigate whether the pattern of response in operational lung volumes during exercise is different between men and women of similar fitness levels. Breath-by-breath volume changes of the entire chest wall ( _CW) and its rib cage ( _Rc) and abdominal ( _Ab) compartments were studied by optoelectronic plethysmography in 15 healthy subjects (10 men) who underwent a symptom-limited ( W _peak) incremental bicycle test. The pattern of change in end-inspiratory and end-expiratory _CW ( _CW,EI and _CW,EE, respectively) did not differ between the sexes. With increasing workload the decrease in _CW,EE was almost entirely attributable to a reduction in end-expiratory _Ab, whereas the increase in _CW,EI was due to the increase in end-inspiratory _Rc in both sexes. In men, at W _peak tidal volume [ _T, 2.7 (0.2) l] and inspiratory capacity [IC, 3.4 (0.2) l] were significantly greater than in women [1.8 (0.2) and 2.6 (0.2) l, respectively]. However, after controlling for lung size using forced vital capacity (FVC) as a surrogate, the differences between men and women were eliminated [ _T /FVC 49 (3) and 45 (3) respectively, and IC/FVC 63 (2) and 65 (3) respectively]. All data are presented as mean (SE). In both men and women the contribution of the rib cage compartment to _T expansion was significantly greater than that of the abdominal compartment. We conclude that gender differences in operational lung volumes in response to progressive exercise are principally attributable to differences related to lung size, whereas compartmental chest wall kinematics do not differ among sexes.     

Plasma FFA responses to prolonged walking in untrained men and women

Summary Gender differences in plasma FFA responses to 90 min of treadmill walking at 35% were investigated in six men and six women following an overnight fast. The subjects represented average values for maximal oxygen uptake and body fat percentage for age and gender. Mean plasma FFA concentration at 45 and 90 min of exercise were significantly (P<0.05) higher for women (0.82 mmol·l^–01, 0.88 mmol·l^–01) than men (0.42 mmol·l^–01, 0.59 mmol·l^–1). Lower R values for women throughout the exercise period indicated a greater percentage fat in total metabolism than for men while the FFA/glycerol results supported greater lipolytic activity for women. The uniformity of percent fat in metabolism for women from rest to exercise showed that FFA release from adipose tissue increased rapidly with the onset of exercise which was not the case for men. Comparison of metabolic data as well as a statistical analysis (ANCOVA) controlling for the influence of and percentage body fat on FFA plasma concentration suggested that gender differences in FFA responses to prolonged submaximal exercise can be expected to occur in untrained subjects.     

Post-axial polydactyly type A2, overgrowth and autistic traits associated with a chromosome 13q31.3 microduplication encompassing miR-17-92 and GPC5

Genomic rearrangements at chromosome 13q31.3q32.1 have been associated with digital anomalies, dysmorphic features, and variable degree of mental disability. Microdeletions leading to haploinsufficiency of miR17～92, a cluster of micro RNA genes closely linked to GPC5 in both mouse and human genomes, has recently been associated with digital anomalies in the Feingold like syndrome. Here, we report on a boy with familial dominant post-axial polydactyly (PAP) type A, overgrowth, significant facial dysmorphisms and autistic traits who carries the smallest germline microduplication known so far in that region. The microduplication encompasses the whole miR17～92 cluster and the first 5 exons of GPC5. This report supports the newly recognized role of miR17～92 gene dosage in digital developmental anomalies, and suggests a possible role of GPC5 in growth regulation and in cognitive development.     

Timing and voluntary suppression of facial mimicry to smiling faces in a Go/NoGo task—An EMG study

Results obtained with a novel emotional Go/NoGo task allowing the investigation of facial mimicry (FM) during the production and inhibition of voluntary smiles are discussed. Healthy participants were asked to smile rapidly to happy faces and maintain a neutral expression to neutral faces, or the reverse. Replicating and extending previous results, happy faces induced FM, as shown by stronger and faster zygomatic activation to happy than neutral faces in Go trials, and a greater number of false alarms to happy faces in NoGo trials. Facial mimicry effects remained present during participants’ active inhibition of facial movement. Latencies of FM were short with 126-250 ms in Go trials, and 251-375 ms in NoGo trials. The utility of the Go/NoGo task, which allows the assessment of response inhibition in the domain of facial expression by installing strong prepotent motor responses via short stimulus presentation times and a great number of Go trials, is discussed.     

Correlation of the main peripheral branches of the facial nerve with the cytoarchitectonic subdivisions of the facial nucleus in the guinea pig

Summary Correlation of the main peripheral branches of the facial nerve with morphological subdivisions of the facial nucleus was examined in the guinea pig by the retrograde horseradish peroxidase method. The facial nucleus of the guinea pig was divided cytoarchitectonically into the dorsolateral, lateral, intermediate, medio-intermediate, medial, and ventromedial divisions; the ventromedial division was further divided into the major, dorsal and lateral parts. Six main branches of the facial nerve were identified; the zygomatico-orbital, cervical, posterior auricular, anterior auricular, superior labial, and inferior labial branches. After applying HRP to the main branches of the facial nerve, the pattern of distribution of HRP-labelled neuronal cell bodies within the facial nucleus was examined: the dorsolateral division, dorsal part of the ventromedial division, major part of the ventromedial division, lateral part of the ventromedial division, or medial division contained the cell bodies of respectively the zygomatico-orbital, cervical, posterior auricular, anterior auricular, or superior labial branches, while each of the lateral, intermediate, and medio-intermediate divisions contained the cell bodies of both the superior labial and inferior labial branches.     

Gender differences influence brain's beta oscillatory responses in recognition of facial expressions

There are only few studies describing gender differences in recognition of facial expressions. Our study has the aim to analyze the effect of gender differences in oscillatory brain responses. Three sets of Ekman and Friesens's facial expressions (neutral, angry, and happy) were presented to 26 healthy subjects (13 men) while recording from 13 different scalp locations. Occipital beta response (15-24Hz) was significantly larger for women than for men during the presentation of face expressions. Our results demonstrate that processing of emotional face expressions clearly differs between men and women. Accordingly, the results indicate the necessity of introducing standardization between male and female subjects by means of oscillatory dynamics. In turn, this standardization may be useful for cognitive and clinical studies.     

Gambling pathology is associated with dampened cortisol response among men and women

Pathological gambling has many similarities to pharmacological addiction. Notably, both pathological gambling and drug addiction are characterized by aberrations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responding. As well, there are indications that gender differences may play a role in these processes. Whether gender and/or HPA response are associated with pathological gambling was of interest. Recreational and pathological gamblers (15 men and 6 women per group) had the HPA factor, cortisol, assessed in saliva before and after watching a video of their preferred mode of gambling (slot machines, horse race betting, scratch-off tickets, blackjack, video poker, craps, sports betting, online casino games, or lottery tickets), and a video of neutral stimuli (a rollercoaster ride). Basal levels of salivary cortisol did not significantly differ among recreational and pathological gamblers. However, recreational gamblers demonstrated significantly increased salivary cortisol levels after the gambling and rollercoaster videos, whereas pathological gamblers demonstrated no salivary cortisol increase in response to either video stimulus. There was also a non-significant trend for women to have a greater cortisol response to video stimuli compared to men. These data suggest that pathological gambling is associated with hypoactive HPA response to gambling stimuli, similar to chronic drug exposure, and gender may contribute to this effect.     

Energy metabolism and regulatory hormones in women and men during endurance exercise

Summary Gender differences in the changes substrates of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as in adrenaline, noradrenaline, growth hormone, insulin and cortisol were investigated in 24 women and 24 men during exhaustive endurance exercise. Training history and current performance capacity were taken into consideration in the design of the study. Since previous papers present conflicting results the purpose of the present study was to obtain further information regarding possible gender differences in lipid metabolism and its regulation by hormones. Non-endurancetrained women and men each ran 10 km on a treadmill at an intensity of 75% of ; endurance-trained women and men ran 14 and 17 km, respectively, at an intensity of 80% of . Blood glucose levels in non-endurance-trained women were higher when compared to non-endurance-trained men. This might be explained by increased mobilization of free fatty acids from intramuscular fat depots during energy production in non-specifically trained women. In contrast, no substantial gender differences in endurancetrained persons were seen in lipid metabolism. The changes in substrates of lipid metabolism confirm the higher lipolytic activity and greater utilization of free fatty acids in endurance-trained persons. During endurance exercise, changes in adrenaline, noradrenaline, growth hormone, insulin and cortisol were not substantially affected by the sex of the subjects. This study does not present any conclusive results that endurance-trained persons show gender differences in lipid metabolism and major regulatory hormones. Supported by the Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft K?ln, FRG     

面瘫患者面神经电图和瞬目反射的应用比较

目的:比较面瘫患者瞬目反射和面神经电图的应用价值。方法:这些面瘫患者经过四周基础治疗和(或)针灸治疗后,进行健、患侧瞬目反射(207例)和面神经电图(205例)检查比较。结果:瞬目反射治疗前健、患侧R1值的差异有极显著意义(P<0．01);治疗后健、患侧R1值的差异无显著意义 (P>0．05)。面神经电图患侧潜伏期延长者于治疗后均有所好转(P<0．05),波幅降低者治疗后无明显改善(P>0．05)。结论:面瘫患者治疗后瞬目反射改善非常明显,而面神经电图恢复存在明显的滞后现象,早期诊断(发病第一周)瞬目反射检查优于面神经电图,中后期面神经电图检查优于瞬目反射。     

Autonomic arousal explains social cognitive abilities in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder

Empirical research into behavioural profiles and autonomic responsivity in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is highly variable and inconsistent. Two preliminary studies of children with ASDs suggest that there may be subgroups of ASDs depending on their resting arousal levels, and that these subgroups show different profiles of autonomic responsivity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether (i) adults with high-functioning ASDs may be separated into subgroups according to variation in resting arousal; and (ii) these ASD arousal subgroups differ in their behavioural profiles for basic emotion recognition, judgements of trustworthiness, and cognitive and affective empathy. Thirty high-functioning adults with ASDs and 34 non-clinical controls participated. Resting arousal was determined as the average skin conductance (SCL) across a 2 min resting period. There was a subgroup of ASD adults with significantly lower resting SCL. These individuals demonstrated poorer emotion recognition, tended to judge faces more negatively, and had atypical relationships between SCL and affective empathy. In contrast, low cognitive empathy was a feature of all ASD adults. These findings have important implications for clinical interventions and future studies investigating autonomic functioning in ASDs.     

Cross-modal extinction in a boy with severely autistic behaviour and high verbal intelligence

Anecdotal reports from individuals with autism suggest a loss of awareness to stimuli from one modality in the presence of stimuli from another. Here we document such a case in a detailed study of A.M., a 13-year-old boy with autism in whom significant autistic behaviours are combined with an uneven IQ profile of superior verbal and low performance abilities. Although A.M.'s speech is often unintelligible, and his behaviour is dominated by motor stereotypies and impulsivity, he can communicate by typing or pointing independently within a letter board. A series of experiments using simple and highly salient visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli demonstrated a hierarchy of cross-modal extinction, in which auditory information extinguished other modalities at various levels of processing. A.M. also showed deficits in shifting and sustaining attention. These results provide evidence for monochannel perception in autism and suggest a general pattern of winner-takes-all processing in which a stronger stimulus-driven representation dominates behaviour, extinguishing weaker representations.     

Facial EMG and heart rate responses to emotion-inducing film clips in boys with disruptive behavior disorders

We examined aspects of emotional empathy across different physiological response systems in boys with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) and normal controls. Heart rate (HR) and electromyographic (EMG) reactivity in zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii muscles were monitored during sadness-, anger-, or happiness-inducing film clips. Relative to controls, DBD boys showed significantly less HR reduction during sadness, and a smaller increase in corrugator EMG activity both during sadness and anger. No significant group differences emerged in HR and zygomaticus EMG responsivity during happiness. We also examined cardiac activity at rest and found higher resting HR and lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia in DBD boys compared to controls. Findings give evidence for a selective impairment in empathy with sadness and anger (not happiness) among DBD boys who exhibit relatively high levels of anxiety and poor emotional control.     

EEG correlates of emotions in dream narratives from typical young adults and individuals with autistic spectrum disorders

The relationship between emotional dream content and Alpha and Beta REM sleep EEG activity was investigated in typical individuals and in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Dream narratives of persons with ASD contained fewer emotional elements. In both groups, emotions correlated positively with slow Alpha (8.0-10.0 Hz) spectral power over parieto-occipital and left central regions, as well as with a right occipital EEG asymmetry. Slow Alpha activity in ASD individuals was lower over midline and parasagittal areas and higher over lateral areas compared to controls. Both groups displayed a right-biased slow Alpha activity for midparietal and occipital (significantly higher in control) sites. Results indicate that Alpha EEG activity may represent a neurophysiological substrate associated with emotional dream content. Distinctive Alpha EEG patterns and asymmetries suggest that dream generation implies different brain connectivity in ASD.     

Reduced fertility in women with X chromosome abnormality

One patient with the karyotype 46, X, del(X)(p 11.23) and three patients with 45, X/46, XX mosaicism were fertile or showed normal ovarian function. The patient with the Xp deletion has two daughters with the same chromosomal abnormality. A study of these patients and of others reported in the literature indicated that fertility of patients with X chromosomal abnormality has a markedly shorter duration than fertility of the normal female. Menopause commonly occurred during the second and third decade of age. We suggest that such fertility is related to the rate of germ cell attrition and hypothesize that germ cell attrition in the human female is influenced by genes of multiple effect which are carried on the X chromosome. The more of these genes which are present the slower the rate of germ cell attrition.