Deficits in recognition, identification, and discrimination of facial emotions in patients with bipolar disorder

Objective: To analyze the recognition, identification, and discrimination of facial emotions in a sample of outpatients with bipolar disorder (BD). Methods: Forty-four outpatients with diagnosis of BD and 48 matched control subjects were selected. Both groups were assessed with tests for recognition (Emotion Recognition-40 - ER40), identification (Facial Emotion Identification Test - FEIT), and discrimination (Facial Emotion Discrimination Test - FEDT) of facial emotions, as well as a theory of mind (ToM) verbal test (Hinting Task). Differences between groups were analyzed, controlling the influence of mild depressive and manic symptoms. Results: Patients with BD scored significantly lower than controls on recognition (ER40), identification (FEIT), and discrimination (FEDT) of emotions. Regarding the verbal measure of ToM, a lower score was also observed in patients compared to controls. Patients with mild syndromal depressive symptoms obtained outcomes similar to patients in euthymia. A significant correlation between FEDT scores and global functioning (measured by the Functioning Assessment Short Test, FAST) was found. Conclusions: These results suggest that, even in euthymia, patients with BD experience deficits in recognition, identification, and discrimination of facial emotions, with potential functional implications. .

Personalidad infantil y memoria auditiva inmediata en un grupo de escolares con rendimiento académico normal / Child personality and immediate auditory memory in a group of school children with normal academic performance

La Neurociencia de la Personalidad es un área de investigación de reciente desarrollo. Su objetivo es comprender la estructura y funcionamiento de la personalidad a partir de los desarrollos actuales en Neurociencias. En la actualidad, se han podido establecer relaciones significativas entre los diferentes factores de personalidad y algunos procesos cognitivos y el funcionamiento neuropsicológico en población clínicamente normal. Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo evaluar las correlaciones entre la personalidad infantil normal y la memoria auditiva inmediata en un grupo de escolares con rendimiento académico normal. Se evaluó un grupo de 36 niños con edades entre 6 y 8 años sin antecedentes personales de enfermedad neurológica, psiquiátrica o neuropsicológica, ni lesión cerebral congénita o adquirida, y sin antecedentes familiares de enfermedad neurológica o psiquiátrica. Se realizó un análisis estadístico de correlaciones y se establecieron los grados de correlaciones entre los tres tipos de memoria auditiva inmediata y cada uno de los 13 factores de personalidad infantil. Las correlaciones que fueron significativas para p < 0.05, R de Pearson, correspondieron a las presentadas entre el factor B (Inteligencia baja-alta) y la memoria lógica (.371), el factor C (Emoción inestable-estable) y la memoria asociativa (-.400), y el factor G (Despreocupado-Consciente) y la memoria numérica (.366). Los resultados del análisis de correlaciones se discuten a partir de algunas propuestas teóricas y conceptuales en Psicología Cognitiva y Neurociencia.

The Neuroscience of Personality is a research area of recent development. Its aim is to understand the structure and functioning of personality from current developments in neuroscience. At present, it has been able to establish meaningful relationships between different personality factors and some cognitive processes and neuropsychological functioning in clinically normal population. This research aimed to evaluate the correlations between normal childhood personality and immediate auditory memory in a group of school children with normal academic performance. We evaluated a group of 36 children aged between 6 and 8 years without a history of neurological disease, psychiatric or neuropsychological or congenital or acquired brain injury, and no family history of neurological or psychiatric disease. We performed a statistical analysis of correlations and the degrees of correlations established between the three types of immediate auditory memory and each of the 13 personality factors in children. The correlations that were significant at p < 0.05, R Pearson, corresponded to those presented between factor B (Intelligence low-high) and logical memory (371), the factor C (Emotion unstable-stable) and associative memory () .400), and factor G(Unconcerned–Conscious) and digital storage (366). The correlation analysis results are discussed from theoretical and conceptual proposals in cognitive psychology and neuroscience.