Procesamiento emocional en niños y adolescentes según sexo / Emotional Processing in Children and Adolescents According to Sex

Resumen Objetivo: analizar el procesamiento emocional en niños, niñas y adolescentes argentinos de edad escolar según sexo. Método: estudio descriptivo-comparativo con un diseño ex post facto, transversal. Participaron en la investigación 67 mujeres y 74 varones escolarizados de entre 7 y 14 años dividido en tres franjas etarias. Para evaluar el procesamiento emocional se utilizaron las 60 imágenes específicas para niños y adolescentes del International Affective Picture System (IAPS), y para medir los juicios evaluativos se utilizó el Self Assessment Manikin (SAM). Resultados: la distribución de las imágenes muestra una correlación moderada negativa entre dos dimensiones afectivas básicas del procesamiento emocional, la valencia afectiva y la activación fisiológica, con valores similares en ambos sexos. Las mujeres puntuaron más bajo que los varones en valencia y arousal, aunque sin diferencias estadísticamente significativas. Los varones evaluaron los estímulos aversivos con menor grado de activación y los estímulos agradables con mayor activación. En general, se observa mayor agrupamiento de las imágenes desagradables y neutras en las mujeres respecto de las de los varones. Conclusión: en ambos sexos se presentó una relación inversa entre valencia y arousal, evidenciada en mayor activación ante imágenes desagradables, lo cual demostraría una tendencia reaccionaron a las imágenes desagradables con mayor intensidad mientras que los varones, valoraron las imágenes agradables con mayor intensidad.

Abstract Objective: to analyze emotional processing in Argentine school-age children and adolescents according to sex. Method: descriptive-comparative study with an ex post facto, cross-sectional design. 67 girls and 74 schooled boys aged between 7 and 14, participated in the research divided into three age ranges. The 60 specific images for children and adolescents from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) were used to assess emotional processing, and the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) was used to measure evaluative judgments. Results: the distribution of the images shows a moderate negative correlation between valence and arousal, with similar values in both sexes. Women scored lower in valence and arousal compared to men, although without statistically significant differences. The men evaluated the aversive stimuli with a lower degree of activation and the pleasant stimuli with greater activation. In general, a greater grouping of unpleasant and neutral images is observed in women compared to those of men. Conclusion: in both sexes there was an inverse relationship between valence and arousal, evidenced in greater activation in the face of unpleasant images, which would demonstrate an avoidance trend when arousal levels are high. Females reacted to unpleasant images with greater intensity while males rated pleasant images with higher degree.

Regulación Emocional En Pacientes Con Esquizofrenia: Un Estudio Piloto / Emotion Regulation In Schizophrenia Patients: A Pilot Study

RESUMEN Antecedentes: Se ha reportado que los pacientes con esquizofrenia presentan alteraciones en el procesamiento emocional, específicamente en la percepción de emociones. Sin embargo, poco se sabe sobre otros aspectos de este proceso, como la regulación emocional. Objetivo: Evaluar y comparar la regulación emocional y neurocognición en pacientes con esquizofrenia y sujetos control, así como identificar correlaciones entre regulación emocional, neurocognición y datos demográficos. Método: Se evaluaron nueve pacientes (GE) y nueve controles (GC). Se obtuvieron datos demográficos, para evaluar regulación emocional se utilizó la Prueba de Inteligencia Emocional Mayer-Salovey Caruso, sección Manejo de Emociones y se realizó una breve evaluación neurocognitiva. Resultados: El GE tuvo un desempeño significativamente inferior que el GC en la prueba de regulación emocional y en neurocognición (p<.05). No se encontraron correlaciones entre regulación emocional, neurocognición, datos demográficos y clínicos. Discusión y conclusión: Los pacientes con esquizofrenia presentan menor capacidad de regulación emocional y alteraciones en la neurocognición. Estos resultados son consistentes con lo descrito en la literatura.

ABSTRACT Background: It has been reported that schizophrenia patients display emotional processing impairments, specifically in the emotion perception domain. However, less is known about other domains of emotional processing, like emotion regulation. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess and compare emotion regulation abilities and neurocognition in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, as well as to identify correlations between emotion regulation, neurocognition and demographic data. Methods: 9 patients (GE) and 9 controls (GC) were recruited. Demographic data was obtained. To assess emotion regulation, the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test -Managing Emotions section- was administered. Finally, a brief neurocognitive assessment was conducted. Results: The GE showed significant poorer performance than the GC in the emotion regulation test as well as in the neurocognitive assessment (p < .05). No correlations were identified between emotion regulation, neurocognition, demographic and clinical data. Discussion and conclusion: Schizophrenia patients show emotion regulation impairment, as well as neurocognitive deficits. Our results are consistent with other studies.

La cognición socialy su contribución a la rehabilitación de los trastornos de la conducta por traumatismo craneal / Social Cognition and its Contribution to the Rehabilitation of Behavioural Disorders in Traumatic Brain Injury

Resumen Las alteraciones de la conducta social por traumatismo craneoencefálico son el resultado de la disfunción de procesos psíquicos involucrados en las relaciones sociales e interpersonales. El concepto de cognición social se ha desarrollado en el estudio de la esquizofrenia, el autismo y la discapacidad intelectual. Los límites del concepto y su estructura interna distan de estar asentados, pero conceptos como teoría de la mente, empatía y procesamiento emocional están presentes en todos los modelos publicados. Las intervenciones propuestas para mejorar la conducta social se centran en la mejora de procesos cognitivos como la memoria de trabajo, el reconocimiento y el procesamiento de las emociones, la capacidad empática o el entrenamiento en habilidades sociales. La evidencia sobre la eficacia de las estrategias que se centran en la cognición social es todavía escasa.

Abstract Social behaviour disorders in traumatic brain injury are caused by the dysfunction of cognitive processes involved in social and interpersonal interaction. The concept of social cognition was introduced by authors studying schizophrenia, autism or mental retardation. The boundaries and the content of the concept have not yet been definitively defined, but theory of mind, empathy and emotional processing are included in all the models proposed.The strategies proposed to improve social behaviour focus on the restoration of cognitive processes such as working memory, emotional recognition and processing, and empathy, as well as social skills. To date, there is very little evidence on the efficacy of the aforementioned social cognition strategies.

Non-Conscious Perception of Emotions in Psychiatric Disorders: The Unsolved Puzzle of Psychopathology

Psychophysiological and functional neuroimaging studies have frequently and consistently shown that emotional information can be processed outside of the conscious awareness. Non-conscious processing comprises automatic, uncontrolled, and fast processing that occurs without subjective awareness. However, how such non-conscious emotional processing occurs in patients with various psychiatric disorders requires further examination. In this article, we reviewed and discussed previous studies on the non-conscious emotional processing in patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, to further understand how non-conscious emotional processing varies across these psychiatric disorders. Although the symptom profile of each disorder does not often overlap with one another, these patients commonly show abnormal emotional processing based on the pathology of their mood and cognitive function. This indicates that the observed abnormalities of emotional processing in certain social interactions may derive from a biased mood or cognition process that precedes consciously controlled and voluntary processes. Since preconscious forms of emotional processing appear to have a major effect on behaviour and cognition in patients with these disorders, further investigation is required to understand these processes and their impact on patient pathology.

Facial expression recognition in Alzheimer’s disease: a longitudinal study / Reconhecimento da expressão facial na doença de Alzheimer: um estudo longitudinal

Facial recognition is one of the most important aspects of social cognition. In this study, we investigate the patterns of change and the factors involved in the ability to recognize emotion in mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Through a longitudinal design, we assessed 30 people with AD. We used an experimental task that includes matching expressions with picture stimuli, labelling emotions and emotionally recognizing a stimulus situation. We observed a significant difference in the situational recognition task (p ≤ 0.05) between baseline and the second evaluation. The linear regression showed that cognition is a predictor of emotion recognition impairment (p ≤ 0.05). The ability to perceive emotions from facial expressions was impaired, particularly when the emotions presented were relatively subtle. Cognition is recruited to comprehend emotional situations in cases of mild dementia.

O reconhecimento da expressão facial é um dos aspectos mais importantes relacionados à cognição social. Foram investigados os padrões de mudança e os fatores envolvidos na habilidade de reconhecer emoções na doença de Alzheimer (DA) leve. Em um estudo longitudinal foram avaliadas 30 pessoas com DA. Para a avaliação da capacidade de reconhecimento facial na DA foi utilizada uma tarefa experimental que inclui a combinação de expressões com uma figura estímulo, rotulação da emoção e reconhecimento emocional de uma situação estímulo. Foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os momentos 1 e 2 na tarefa de reconhecimento situacional (p ≤ 0.05). A regressão linear mostrou que a cognição (p ≤ 0.05) é o fator preditor para o prejuízo do reconhecimento emocional, o que sugere um recrutamento da cognição para a compreensão de situações emocionais mais complexas. Houve comprometimento na percepção de emoções em expressões faciais, particularmente, quando as emoções eram sutis.

Teoría de la mente de un grupo de personas vinculadas al conflicto armado y en proceso de resocialización / Theory of mind in a group of people involved in the armed conflict and in process of resocialization

La teoría de la mente es la capacidad de inferir, predecir y atribuir estados mentales a otras personas. Este constructo ha sido estudiado desde numerosas patologías, como el autismo, la esquizofrenia y el síndrome de Down. Estudios recientes han mostrado que las alteraciones de la teoría de la mente pueden ser observadas en los diferentes cuadros clínicos derivados de alteraciones del lóbulo frontal, como la personalidad antisocial. Algunos autores plantean que un aspecto esencial de la teoría de la mente es la empatía. Sin embargo, este constructo no ha sido estudiado en población normal colombiana con conductas violentas y delictivas que han estado vinculadas al conflicto armado. Este artículo tiene como propósito describir algunas características de la ToM en sujetos que estuvieron vinculados al conflicto armado en Antioquia con manifestaciones sintomáticas relacionadas con comportamientos violentos y delictivos.

The Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to infer, predict, and attribute mental states to others. This construct has been studied for many illnesses, such as autism, schizophrenia, and Down syndrome. Recent studies have shown that an impaired ToM can be observed in various clinical conditions resulting from alterations of the frontal lobe, such as antisocial personality. Some authors argue that an essential aspect of the ToM is empathy. However, this construct has not been studied in Colombian normal population with violent and criminal behaviors that have been linked to an armed conflict. This paper aims to describe some characteristics of the ToM in subjects who were involved in the armed conflict in Antioquia, with symptomatic manifestations related to violent and criminal behavior.

ERP Components Associated with Emotional Processing in Anxiety Disorder

This article aimed to describe typical event-related potentials (ERP) components of emotional processing in patients with anxiety disorder and highly anxious individuals. ERP components associated with emotional processing could be broadly divided into three components with short, middle and long, respectively. Many studies show that patients with anxiety disorders are characterized by different emotional bias to specific stimuli and more sensitive to emotional stimuli than normal individuals. In addition, these emotional biases were stronger and quicker in patients with anxiety disorder than normal individuals. Some studies reported that anxious people show abnormality at the initial stage (e.g. P1) of emotional processing. However, other studies reported the abnormality at the late stage (e.g. LPP) or wholeness of emotional processing in anxious individuals. We summarized the updated finding of possible ERP components of emotional processing in patients with anxiety disorder and highly anxious individuals. The significance and clinical implication were discussed.

Padrões de funcionamento cerebral em voluntários saudáveis antes e após o uso de antidepressivo: estudo de ressonância magnética funcional durante indução emocional através de estimulação visual / Patterns of brain functioning in healthy volunteers before and after the use of antidepressant: a study of functional magnetic resonance imaging during emotional induction through visual stimulation

INTRODUÇÃO: O processamento emocional pelo cérebro humano tem sido atualmente investigado através do uso de ressônancia magnética funcional (RMf). A RMf possibilita o estudo in vivo e não invasivo de mudanças na atividade cerebral regional em voluntários humanos saudáveis. O processamento emocional pode ser modulado através do uso de antidepressivos que influenciam sistemas neurais relacionados ao processamento emocional, através da modulação da ação de neurotransmissores como a serotonina e a noradrenalina. A clomipramina, um antidepressivo tricíclico, tem sido relacionada com efeitos de resposta clínica mesmo em voluntários saudáveis. Estudos utilizando a RMf permitem a investigação do efeito de antidepressivos nos sistemas neurais envolvidos no processamento emocional em indivíduos saudáveis que apresentam resposta ao uso destes medicamentos comparados a sujeitos que não apresentam resposta ao tratamento. MÉTODOS: Nesta tese, dezoito voluntários saudáveis foram investigados em relação a mudanças de atividade neural em resposta à indução emocional através da apresentação de fotografias do International Affective Pictures System (IAPS). Foram estudadas particularmente as emoções de raiva, felicidade e medo. Os voluntários foram submetidos ao tratamento prolongado com doses baixas de clomipramina por quatro semanas. A amostra foi subdividida em respondedores (n=6) e não respondedores (n=12) ao tratamento com clomipramina. A atividade neural foi estimada com o uso da RMf, através da mensuração do efeito blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD). As imagens foram processadas e analisadas usando o programa Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM). Indivíduos não respondedores foram comparados sob o efeito e na ausência de efeito da clomipramina, através de comparações planejadas utilizando t-teste pareado. Indivíduos respondedores foram comparados com os não respondedores sob o efeito da clomipramina através de t-teste não pareado. RESULTADOS: Nos voluntários...

INTRODUCTION: The emotional processing by the human brain has now been investigated through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI technique allows the noninvasive study of in vivo changes in regional brain activity in healthy human volunteers. The emotional processing may be modulated through the use of antidepressants that influence neural systems linked to emotional processing, by modulating the action of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, has been reported to elicit clinical response even in healthy volunteers. Studies using fMRI allow the investigation of the effect of antidepressants on neural systems involved in emotional processing in healthy subjects showing response to the use of antidepressant drugs compared to subjects who do not respond to treatment. METHODS: In this thesis, eighteen healthy volunteers were investigated in relation to changes in neural activity in response to emotional induction through the presentation of photos of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). We studied especially the emotions of anger, happiness and fear. The volunteers were subjected to prolonged treatment with low doses of clomipramine for four weeks. The sample was divided into responders (n = 6) and non-responders (n = 12) to treatment with clomipramine. The neural activity was estimated by using fMRI, by measuring the blood oxygenation level dependent effect (BOLD). Images were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) program. Non-responders were compared under two conditions: when using clomipramine, and after drug washout, using paired t-tests. Individuals who responded to clomipramine treatment were compared with non-responders under the effect of the drug by independent t-test. RESULTS: In volunteers not responding to clomipramine, a comparison between the non-medicated versus medicated states showed less neural activity...

Neurobiology of Facial Perception and Facial Affect Recognition / 신경정신의학

Recognition of face is an essential cognitive processing to communicate information directly each other. The electrophysiological data have demonstrated that the negative event-related potential (ERP) recorded at occipitotemporal leads, the N170 potential, is a very sensitive neural correlate for faces. The fusiform gyrus, located on the ventromedial surface of temporal and occipital lobes, has been demonstrated to be a key brain region for face perception. Because the face contains the emotional informations, study about face recognition includes emotional processing as well as structural processing of face. So as a essential part of social cognition, the face recognition and facial affects preception have been paid attentions by many researchers. In this article, we reviewed some important research data about face recognition and face affect perception.