Behavioral and brain oscillatory correlates of affective processing in subclinical depression

Named among the most dangerous diseases of the modern era, depression is characterized primarily by distortions in the affective sphere. Despite extensive investigations of underlying the neural background, mechanisms of the distortion still remain unknown. The current study analyzed brain oscillatory dynamics in different frequencies during resting state and presentation of affective stimuli in nonclinical individuals with high Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI–II) scores (HB) versus controls. Both behavioral and electrocortical “markers” of clinical depression were apparent at subclinical level. A resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) of HB revealed increased power in low frequencies, predominantly in the frontal cortical areas, that is in accordance with a “spatio-temporal dysfunction” model of depression. Related to that, transition from an eyes-closed to eyes-open condition was associated with diminished alpha blockade in HB, suggesting difficulties with the relocation of attention focus from inner processes toward environmental stimuli. Subsequently, independently of a sign of emotion, five out of six discrete emotions were evaluated as less valenced and four out of six as less intense by HB than by controls, corroborating the view of emotion context insensitivity (ECI) associated with depression. Underlying brain oscillatory dynamics revealed that depression was associated with deficits in the early, implicit, processing stages of emotional stimuli. Later processing stages were characterized by prominent power surges in low and alpha frequencies, presumably indicating emotion upregulation processes and increased engagement of cognitive mechanisms in affective tasks. The study provides brain oscillatory-based mechanisms of emotion processing distortions associated with depression.     

流动与非流动初中生积极心理品质的比较

目的对流动与非流动初中生积极心理品质:自立人格、心理韧性、正性-负性情绪进行比较,为推动流动初中生心理健康发展提供依据。方法采用青少年自立人格量表、青少年心理韧性量表、正性-负性情绪量表对深圳某中学658名初中1～3年级的学生进行抽样调查,以筛选出的392名流动初中生为研究组,其他学生为对照组。利用SPSS16.0统计软件对调查结果进行统计分析。结果①流动与非流动初中生在自立人格各因子及正性-负性情绪上无显著差异;②流动初中生在心理韧性的积极认知上得分显著高于非流动初中生(F=4.078,P<0.05),其它因子无显著差异。结论流动对流动初中生积极心理品质发展的影响并不明显,可通过教育发挥流动的积极意义。     

心理支持对宫外孕患者术后焦虑及其相关因素的影响

目的探讨心理支持对宫外孕患者输卵管切除术后身心康复的作用。方法采用Zung焦虑自评量表和自制的情绪问卷调查表,对我院2003年6月至2004年6月收治的92例宫外孕患者于术后第1天进行问卷调查,针对焦虑和情绪相关因素给予个性化心理支持,并在术后第5天用相同问卷复查,比较心理支持前后焦虑及情绪相关因素的差异。结果心理支持前后患者的焦虑均值与情绪相关因素均值差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论心理支持可减轻宫外孕患者输卵管切除术后的焦虑和不良情绪,促进其身心康复,提高生活质量。     

Predicting emotional health indicators from linguistic evidence of psychological distancing

Psychological distancing, a form of cognitive reappraisal, involves construal of emotionally valenced stimuli in an objective manner, or with perceived spatial and temporal distance. Prior work suggests that in appropriate contexts, reappraisal broadly, and distancing specifically, is related to adaptive mental and physical health outcomes. Additionally, recent research suggests that shifting language to be more distant (i.e., linguistic distancing [LD]) can have adaptive emotion regulatory effects. The present study addressed whether LD is also associated with adaptive health indicators. Participants transcribed their thoughts while viewing negative or neutral stimuli in one of three ways: (a) by implementing objective language, (b) by implementing spatially and/or temporally far away language, or (c) by responding naturally. Across psychological distancing groups, LD was associated with lower negative affectivity (lower perceived stress and depression symptoms), better general well‐being (better emotional well‐being and energy and vitality), and better emotion regulation (ER; greater reappraisal frequency and fewer difficulties in implementing ER). Participants who used more LD in the objective group had lower negative affectivity, better general well‐being, and better ER, and those in the far group had better ER. The results reveal linguistic mechanisms underlying ER and its relationship to health indicators, suggesting future examination of LD interventions.     

Emotional Communication in Advanced Pediatric Cancer Conversations

ContextCancer is a life-changing diagnosis accompanied by significant emotional distress, especially for children with advanced disease. However, the content and processes of discussing emotion in advanced pediatric cancer remain unknown.ObjectivesTo describe the initiation, response, and content of emotional communication in advanced pediatric cancer.MethodsWe audiorecorded 35 outpatient consultations between oncologists and families of children whose cancer recently progressed. We coded conversations based on Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences.ResultsAbout 91% of conversations contained emotional cues, and 40% contained explicit emotional concerns. Parents and clinicians equally initiated cues (parents: 48%, 183 of 385; clinicians: 49%) and concerns (parents: 51%; clinicians: 49%). Children initiated 3% of cues and no explicit concerns. Emotional content was most commonly related to physical aspects of cancer and/or treatment (28% of cues and/or concerns, present in 80% of conversations) and prognosis (27% of cues and/or concerns, present in 60% of conversations). Clinicians mostly responded to emotional cues and concerns implicitly, without specifically naming the emotion (85%). Back channeling (using minimal prompts or words that encourage further disclosure, e.g., uh-huh) was the most common implicit response that provided space for emotional disclosure (32% of all responses). Information advice was the most common implicit response that reduced space for further emotional disclosure (28%).ConclusionEmotional communication in advanced pediatric cancer appears to be a subtle process where parents offer hints and clinicians respond with non-emotion-laden statements. Also, children were seldom engaged in emotional conversations. Clinicians should aim to create an environment that allows families to express emotional distress if and/or when ready.     

Developmental trajectory of the late positive potential: Using temporal-spatial PCA to characterize within-subject developmental changes in emotional processing

The late positive potential (LPP) is characterized by temporal and spatial changes across development—though existing work has primarily relied on visual or statistical comparisons of relatively few electrodes and averaged activity over time. The current study used an empirically based approach to characterize temporal and spatial changes in ERPs over time. Data were utilized from a large longitudinal study (N = 380) in which the LPP was recorded to pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures around age 9 and again around age 12. Age 9 ERPs were subtracted from age 12 ERPs for all three image types; the resulting ERPs for each subject at each electrode site were then submitted to a temporospatial principal component analysis (PCA). A PCA factor was greater in amplitude for emotional pictures compared to neutral pictures between ages 9 and 12, evident as an occipital negativity and frontocentral positivity that peaked approximately 850 ms following picture presentation. Furthermore, the factor scores to emotional pictures for this component increased as a function of age 12 pubertal development, consistent with the notion that the LPP shifts from occipital to more frontocentral sites in relation to developmental changes from childhood to adolescence. A similar factor was observed when PCA was applied to all ERPs from both ages 9 and 12. Using temporospatial PCA on ERPs collected from the same subjects over time—especially within-subject subtraction-based ERPs—provides a concise way of characterizing and quantifying within-subject developmental changes in both the timing and scalp distribution of ERPs.     

浙江淳安小学生流行性癔病的心理社会因素探讨

本文报告对前文所述文昌乡中心小学四个流行性癔病发病班137名学生进行了问卷调查,其中曾发病者36人(女31,男5)与未发病的45人(女38,男7)对照组进行比较。结果显示发病组 EPQ 测定 N 分(神经质)高,平时情绪消极,应对能力差,依赖性强,体质较差,关系密切同学中患病者多,害怕鬼神等特点,与对照组相比,均有显著性差异。     

Guided self-help for binge eating/purging anorexia nervosa before inpatient treatment

Abstract

The goal of this study was to develop a cognitive–behavioral self-help manual for anorexia nervosa. Patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (N=102), binge eating/purging type (AN-B/P), were consecutively assigned to one of two conditions: 6-week manualized guided self-help or a wait-list control. All patients thereafter received inpatient treatment in a hospital for behavioral medicine. The primary outcome variable was the number of days in inpatient treatment. Secondary outcome variables were measures of psychopathology. Results showed that duration of inpatient treatment was significantly shorter (by 5.2 days) among participants receiving guided self-help. Body image, slimness ideal, general psychopathology, and some bulimic symptoms improved significantly during self-help. The authors conclude that, to increase effects of therapist-guided self-help in AN-B/P, additional variants of a self-help manual should be tried in different therapeutic settings.     

Oxytocin attenuates amygdala responses to emotional faces regardless of valence.

BACKGROUND: Oxytocin is known to reduce anxiety and stress in social interactions as well as to modulate approach behavior. Recent studies suggest that the amygdala might be the primary neuronal basis for these effects. METHODS: In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject design, we measured neural responses to fearful, angry, and happy facial expressions after intranasal application of 24 IU oxytocin compared with placebo. RESULTS: Oxytocin reduced right-sided amygdala responses to all three face categories even when the emotional content of the presented face was not evaluated explicitly. Exploratory whole brain analysis revealed modulatory effects in prefrontal and temporal areas as well as in the brainstem. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a modulatory role of oxytocin on amygdala responses to facial expressions irrespective of their valence. Reduction of amygdala activity to positive and negative stimuli might reflect reduced uncertainty about the predictive value of a social stimulus and thereby facilitates social approach behavior.     

How disgust facilitates avoidance: an ERP study on attention modulation by threats

This study investigated the attention modulation of disgust in comparison with anger in a dot-probe task. Results indicated a two-stage processing of attention modulation by threats. When participants viewed the cues that were represented by Chinese faces (i.e. the in-group condition), it was found at the early processing stage that an angry face elicited a larger occipital P1 component whereas a disgusted face elicited a smaller P1 for validly than for invalidly cued targets. However, the result pattern was reversed at the later processing stage: the P3 amplitudes were larger for valid disgust cues but were smaller for valid angry cues, when both were compared with invalid cue conditions. In addition, when participants viewed the cues that were represented by foreign faces (i.e. the out-group condition), the attention modulation of disgust/anger diminished at the early stage, whereas enhanced P3 amplitudes were observed in response to validly cued targets in both disgusting and angry conditions at the later stage. The current result implied that although people can perceptually differentiate the emotional categories of out-group faces as accurately as in-group faces, they may still be not able to psychologically understand the subtle differences behind different categories of out-group facial expressions.