Subtypes of anhedonia and facial electromyography response to negative affective pictures in non-psychiatric adults

Introduction. Flat/constricted affect and anhedonia are symptoms found in several psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. However, there are very few studies on the relationships between specific anhedonia subtypes and objectively assessed flat affect, and it appears that none of the existing studies examined potential moderation by sex.

Methods. Forty-seven undergraduate students (60% male) completed self-report questionnaires assessing three subtypes of anhedonia – non-social consummatory (CON) and anticipatory (ANT) anhedonia, and overall social anhedonia. Participants viewed 15 pictures (5 neutral and 10 negative) from the International Affective Picture System, whereas facial muscle reaction was recorded using electromyography (EMG).

Results. Male participants reporting a greater level of overall social or non-social CON anhedonia showed a greater EMG activity increase in the corrugator supercilii muscle to negative (vs. neutral) pictures. In females, the relationship was only found with social anhedonia and was opposite in direction, as increased social anhedonia related to less EMG activity change in the corrugator muscle.

Conclusions. The relationship between anhedonia and flat affect varied as a function of sex and anhedonia subtype. These findings may help explain discrepancies in the sparse existing literature examining this relationship in psychiatric populations and have implications for assessment and treatment of these symptoms across psychiatric disorders.     

情感安抚策略对于行电子结肠镜下息肉摘除术患者其负性情绪、疼痛程度及应激指标的影响

摘要：目的 探究情感安抚策略对于行电子结肠镜下息肉摘除术患者其负性情绪、疼痛程度及应激指标的影响。方法 选取我院于2014年2月~2016年2月收治的76例行电子结肠镜下息肉摘除术患者,以随机数字表作为分组手段,将纳入对象划分为研究组和对照组各38例。其中对照组开展常规护理干预,研究组则在对照组基础上引入情感安抚策略。记录两组患者在入院时、术前1d及退镜后15min的收缩压、心率值;记录两组患者在入院时、术前1d及术后1d的焦虑自评量表（SAS）和抑郁自评量表（SDS）评分;记录两组患者在入院时、术前1d及术后1d的视觉模拟疼痛评分。 结果 在入院时,两组患者的收缩压及心率值比较无统计学差异（P>0.05）;术前1d及退镜后15min的收缩压及心率值均低于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。在入院时,两组患者的焦虑及抑郁情绪评分差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）;术前1d及退镜后15min的焦虑及抑郁情绪评分均低于对照组（P<0.05）。两组患者在入院时的视觉模拟疼痛程度评分无统计学差异（P>0.05）;术前1d和术后1d的视觉模拟疼痛程度评分均低于对照组（P<0.05）。结论 情感安抚策略应用于行电子结肠下息肉摘除术患者,有助于改善其不良情绪,还能降低其疼痛程度及生理应激相关指标,取得较为可观的临床成效。     

心理疏导对多重耐药菌感染患者负面情绪及生活质量的影响

目的 探讨心理疏导对隔离所致多重耐药菌感染患者的负面情绪及生活质量的影响.方法 选取泌尿外科42例多重耐药菌感染患者,随机分成治疗组22例及对照组20例,2组均实施常规隔离及药物治疗,治疗组在实施常规隔离治疗的基础上进行心理疏导和知识宣教.采用焦虑自评量表(SAS)和抑郁自评量表(SDS)评价2组心理疏导前(T0),心理疏导4周(T1)后负面情绪积分变化,采用生存质量测定方法中文版简表(WHOQOL-100)评价2组生活质量改善情况.结果 治疗组T1时SAS、SDS改善显著优于对照组(P＜0.05);T1时后WHOQOL-100量表评分显示治疗组生理领域、心理领域、社会关系、环境领域评分均显著高于对照组(P＜0.05).结论 有效的心理疏导可显著纠正多重耐药菌感染患者负面情绪,提高生活质量,对多重耐药菌感染患者治疗起积极作用.     

Expressed emotion and family burden in relatives of patients in first-episode psychosis

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that expressed emotion (EE) and family burden (FB) are phenomena that interact, but there is a lack of studies that analyze this association in patients in first-episode psychosis.

全程优质护理对口腔颌面外科手术患者的心理影响

目的：研究探讨全程优质护模式对口腔颌面外科手术患者负性心理情绪的影响。方法：选取实施口腔颌面部外科手术的患者100例随机分为两组,每组50例,对照组患者给予传统护理,观察组患者则实施全程优质护理。比较其治疗前后的SAS评分和SDS评分。结果：两组患者治疗前的SAS评分和SDS评分之间均无显著差异（P>0.05）,治疗后均显著改善,与治疗前的比较有统计学差异（P<0.05）。观察组患者治疗后的焦虑评分和抑郁评分均显著优于对照组患者,有统计学差异（P<0.05）。结论：对实施口腔颌面外科手术的患者实施全程优质护理,能有效地改善患者的负性心理情绪,促进患者术后的恢复,值得临床推广应用。     

Differentiating event‐related potential components sensitive to emotion in middle childhood: Evidence from temporal–spatial PCA

Event‐related potentials (ERPs) may be particularly useful for examining emotional processing across development. Though a number of ERP components are sensitive to emotional content in adults, previous studies have yet to systematically examine the components sensitive to emotion in children. The current study used temporal–spatial principal components analysis (PCA) to identify ERP components in response to complex emotional images in 9‐year‐old children. Three components were modulated by emotional content and were similar to those previously observed in adults, including: the early posterior negativity, the P300, and a sustained relative positivity similar to the late positive potential (LPP). Compared to those previously observed in adults, the components sensitive to emotion in children were maximal over more occipital regions and the LPP component appeared to be less protracted in time, perhaps indicative of less elaborative processing of emotional stimuli. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 55: 539–550, 2013     

Effects of intranasal oxytocin on pupil dilation indicate increased salience of socioaffective stimuli

To investigate the mechanisms by which oxytocin improves socioaffective processing, we measured behavioral and pupillometric data during a dynamic facial emotion recognition task. In a double‐blind between‐subjects design, 47 men received either 24 IU intranasal oxytocin (OXT) or a placebo (PLC). Participants in the OXT group recognized all facial expressions at lower intensity levels than did participants in the PLC group. Improved performance was accompanied by increased task‐related pupil dilation, indicating an increased recruitment of attentional resources. We also found increased pupil dilation during the processing of female compared with male faces. This gender‐specific stimulus effect diminished in the OXT group, in which pupil size specifically increased for male faces. Results suggest that improved emotion recognition after OXT treatment might be due to an intensified processing of stimuli that usually do not recruit much attention.     

Positive emotion regulation in emotional disorders: A theoretical review

Conceptualizations of emotion regulation have led to the identification of cognitive and behavioral regulatory abnormalities that contribute to the development and maintenance of emotional disorders. However, existing research on emotion regulation in anxiety and mood disorders has primarily focused on the regulation of negative emotions rather than positive emotions. Recent findings indicate that disturbances in positive emotion regulation occur across emotional disorders, and may be a generative target for treatment research. The aims of this paper are to: 1. Present a transdiagnostic model of positive emotion disturbances in emotional disorders; 2. Review evidence for disturbances in positive emotion regulation in emotional disorders across categories of emotion regulation; and 3. Propose treatment strategies that may address these disturbances.     

Pediatric anxiety associated with altered facial emotion recognition

Multiple psychiatric disorders are associated with difficulties in facial emotion recognition. However, generalized anxiety disorder may be associated with more accurate recognition of others’ emotional expressions, particularly expressions of happiness and fear, which index safety and threat. Children aged 9–14 from a community sample (N = 601) completed a facial emotion labeling task. Children’s symptoms of depressive and anxiety syndromes were assessed by self- and parent-report. Elevated symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder were associated with more accurate facial emotion recognition (β = 0.16, p = 0.007), specifically recognition of happiness (β = 0.17, p = 0.002) and fear (β = 0.15, p = 0.006). Elevated depressive symptoms were associated with less accurate facial emotion recognition (β = −0.12, p = 0.018), specifically happiness (β = −0.15, p = 0.002). Elevated symptoms of separation anxiety disorder were also associated with less accurate facial emotion recognition (β = −0.16, p = 0.003), specifically happiness (β = −0.15, p = 0.006) and fear (β = −0.15, p = 0.005), which highlights the importance of distinguishing between anxiety syndromes. Results held when adjusting for child age and sex. Evidence that symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder are associated with more accurate recognition of happiness and fear is consistent with theories of heightened social vigilance and support a transdiagnostic role of facial emotion recognition that may inform the psychosocial development of youth with anxiety and depressive symptoms.