The joint impact of mood state and task difficulty on cardiovascular and electrodermal reactivity in active coping

An experiment with N = 56 university students investigated the joint effects of manipulated mood state and task difficulty on cardiovascular and electrodermal reactivity during mood inductions and performance on a letter cancellation task. We tested our theory-based prediction that moods per se do not involve autonomic adjustments whereas mood and task difficulty interact during task performance to determine autonomic reactivity with respect to active coping. Specifically, we anticipated for an easy task weaker reactivity in a positive mood (due to low subjective demand) than in a negative mood (due to high subjective demand). Conversely, we expected, for a difficult task, stronger reactivity in a positive mood (high, but not yet too high, subjective demand) than in a negative mood (too high subjective demand). Adjustments of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and tonic skin conductance level described exactly the predicted pattern. Furthermore, task performance was associated with autonomic reactivity in the difficult conditions.     

Recognition of emotions from visual and prosodic cues in Parkinson’s disease

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether Parkinson Disease (PD) patients are impaired at perceiving emotions from facial and prosodic cues and whether any putative defective performance concerns recognition of a particular emotion. BACKGROUND: Braak et al. [1] demonstrated that in different stages PD pathology involves the nigrostriatal system, the amygdala, and the insular cortex. Discrete brain lesions to these structures can cause selective deficits in recognising facial and prosodic stimuli expressing particular emotions. However, the investigation of facial and prosodic emotional processing in PD patients has lead to conflicting results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared 27 cognitively unimpaired PD patients with control subjects by means of the Facial Emotion Recognition Battery and the Emotional Prosody Recognition Battery. RESULTS: PD patients were impaired in recognising, selecting, and matching facial affects. In particular, the Facial Emotion Recognition Battery demonstrated a severe impairment in recognising sad and fearful faces. In the Emotional Prosody Recognition Battery PD patients demonstrated a diffuse impairment, including the recognition of emotional and propositional prosody. CONCLUSIONS: Face emotion processing is impaired in PD patients, with a disproportionate deficit involving fear and sadness. The pattern of face expression processing impairment in PD patients might depend on the regional distribution of the pathology. The widespread involvement of both emotional and propositional prosodic processing parallels the aprosodic characteristics of Parkinsonian speech production.     

全部睡眠剥夺对健康男性青年情绪的影响

目的 探讨长时间睡眠剥夺（SD）对情绪的影响。方法 挑选身体健康男性青年志愿者30名,剥夺全部睡眠52h。采用情绪状态问卷、贝克焦虑问卷、考虑自评量表、状态焦虑问卷和自评抑郁量表,分别在SD前（基础值）、SD期间（1次／6h,共8次）及一夜恢复性睡眠后评定受试者的情绪状态。结果 与基础值比较,随SD时间的延长,疲惫－惰性、焦虑、抑郁、困惑-迷茫等消极情绪的因子分逐渐增加（P＜0．05－0．001）,并与SD时间呈正相关;而有力－好动积极情绪因子分逐渐下降（P＜0．001）,与SD时间呈负相关（r＝－0．846,P＜0．001）。一夜恢复性睡眠后,疲惫－惰性和有力－好动因子分与基础值的差异仍有显著性（P＜0．05－0．01）,余均恢复到基础水平。结论 长时间的SD可导致情绪逐渐恶化。;一夜的恢复性睡眠对情绪的改善有一定效果。     

Preferential responses to faces in superior temporal and medial prefrontal cortex in three-year-old children

Perceiving faces and understanding emotions are key components of human social cognition. Prior research with adults and infants suggests that these social cognitive functions are supported by superior temporal cortex (STC) and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to characterize functional responses in these cortical regions to faces in early childhood. Three-year-old children (n = 88, M(SD) = 3.15(.16) years) passively viewed faces that varied in emotional content and valence (happy, angry, fearful, neutral) and, for fearful and angry faces, intensity (100%, 40%), while undergoing fNIRS. Bilateral STC and MPFC showed greater oxygenated hemoglobin concentration values to all faces relative to objects. MPFC additionally responded preferentially to happy faces relative to neutral faces. We did not detect preferential responses to angry or fearful faces, or overall differences in response magnitude by emotional valence (100% happy vs. fearful and angry) or intensity (100% vs. 40% fearful and angry). In exploratory analyses, preferential responses to faces in MPFC were not robustly correlated with performance on tasks of early social cognition. These results link and extend adult and infant research on functional responses to faces in STC and MPFC and contribute to the characterization of the neural correlates of early social cognition.     

Emotional relationship quality of adult children with ageing parents: on solidarity, conflict and ambivalence

Emotions towards a relationship partner provide relevant and specific information about relationship quality. Based on this assumption the present study was performed to identify different types of emotional relationship quality of middle-aged adult children with their ageing parents. This was done by cluster analytic procedures in a sample of 1,208 middle-aged adult children (482 men, 726 women). Using ratings of positive and negative emotions towards their mother and father as grouping variables, the same four-cluster solution emerged for both the child–mother relationship and the child–father relationship. Clusters were labelled as amicable, disharmonious, detached and ambivalent relationships. Results showed that especially amicable relationships clearly prevailed followed by ambivalent, detached and disharmonious relationships. Clusters differed significantly with respect to gender of adult child, willingness to support, expected parental support and overt conflicts. In a cross-classification of cluster membership regarding the child–mother relationship (four clusters) and the child–father relationship (four clusters), all possible 16 combinations were observed, with a considerable degree of divergence regarding the type of relationship quality within the same family. Results are discussed with respect to types of emotional relationship quality, within family differences and the intrafamilial regulation of relationship quality.     

慢性强迫游泳应激对大鼠情绪和脑细胞外信号调节激酶磷酸化水平的影响

目的探讨慢性强迫游泳应激对大鼠情绪和脑细胞外信号调节激酶磷酸化(P-ERK1/2)水平的影响。方法将30只SD雄性大鼠随机分为游泳应激组、装置对照组和空白对照组,每组10只。游泳应激组每天接受5min的游泳应激,装置对照组每天接受5min的新异场景应激,均连续14 d,空白对照组不进行任何干预,然后观察大鼠行为(体质量增长量、旷场测验和糖精水溶液偏好测验)。采用免疫印迹法测定大鼠海马和前额叶皮质的P-ERK1/2。结果(1)游泳应激组在应激7d和应激14d的体质量增长[分别为(75±22)g和(70±24)g]均低于空白对照组[分别为(101±35)g和(115+47)g],均P＜0.05。(2)装置对照组的粪便排泄量[(1.4±1.9)粒]多于空白对照组[(0.4±1.0)粒]和游泳应激组[(0.1±0.3)粒],均P＜0.05；而游泳应激组的水平活动距离[(2077±1245)cm]少于空白对照组[(2990±1038)cm]和装置对照组[(3110±1462)cm],均P＜0.05。(3)游泳应激组的糖精水溶液摄入量[(11±6)g]和糖精水溶液摄入量占总液体摄入量的比例[(37±16)％]均低于空白对照组[分别为(15±4)g和(47±15)％],均P＜0.05。(4)游泳应激组在海马[(46±95)％]和前额叶皮质[(65±24)％]的P-ERK2水平均低于空白对照组[分别为(76±30)%和(99±42)%],均P＜0．05。结论慢性强迫游泳应激能诱发大鼠的抑郁情绪,降低P-ERK2在海马和前额叶皮质的水平。     

Emotional foundations of music as a non-pharmacological pain management tool in modern medicine

This paper reviews the use of music as an adjuvant to the control of pain, especially in medical procedures. Surgery causes stress and anxiety that exacerbates the experience of pain. Self-report of and physiological measures on post-surgical patients indicate that music therapy or music stimulation reduces the perception of pain, both alone and when part of a multimodal pain management program, and can reduce the need for pharmaceutical interventions. However, multimodal pain therapy, including non-pharmacological interventions after surgery, is still rare in medical practice. We summarize how music can enhance medical therapies and can be used as an adjuvant with other pain-management programs to increase the effectiveness of those therapies. As summarized, we currently know that musical pieces chosen by the patient are commonly, but not always, more effective than pieces chosen by another person. Further research should focus both on finding the specific indications and contra-indications of music therapy and on the biological and neurological pathways responsible for those findings (related evidence has implicated brain opioid and oxytocin mechanisms in affective changes evoked by music). In turn, these findings will allow medical investigators and practitioners to design guidelines and reliable, standardized applications for this promising method of pain management in modern medicine.     

早期未治疗帕金森病患者情绪记忆损害的特点

目的 探讨早期未治疗帕金森病(PD)患者情绪记忆损害的特点。方法 利用标准的情绪图片(包括正性、负性和中性效价)对33例PD患者和31名年龄、性别和教育程度相匹配的健康对照组进行情绪记忆测试。结果 与对照组[负性(13.4±1.4)分]相比,PD组[(8.9±1.0)分]负性情绪效价图片再认成绩差异有统计学意义(t= - 14.87,P＜0.01);PD组正性[(11.8±1.0)分]和中性[(7.9±1.4)分]情绪效价图片再认成绩与对照组[正性(12.4±2.2)分,中性(8.2±1.3)分]比,差异均无统计学意义。结论 早期未治疗PD患者负性效价情绪记忆存在损害,而正性和中性效价情绪记忆相对保留。     

抑郁症患者中庸思维、反应方式和情绪的关系

目的：探讨抑郁症患者中庸思维、反应方式和情绪的关系。方法运用中庸思维量表、反应方式问卷、正性负性情绪量表对300例符合ICD－10中抑郁症诊断的患者进行测评,并对三者的关系进行分析。结果沉思与负性情绪呈正相关（ r ＝0．268,P ＜0．01）,分心与正性情绪呈正相关（ r ＝0.359,P ＜0．01）,与负性情绪呈负相关（ r ＝－0．167,P ＜0．05）;中庸思维与分心呈正相关（ r ＝0.242,P ＜0．01）,与负性情绪呈负相关（ r＝－0．237,P＜0．01）。中庸思维调节沉思和负性情绪的关系。结论中庸思维程度不会改变分心对情绪的影响,中庸思维程度越低沉思对负性情绪的影响越大。