Facial and Vocal Expressions During Clinical Interviews Suggest an Emotional Modulation Paradox in Borderline Personality Disorder: An Explorative Study.

Videotape recordings obtained during an initial and conventional psychiatric interview were used to assess possible emotional differences in facial expressions and acoustic parameters of the voice between Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) female patients and matched controls. The incidence of seven basic emotion expressions, emotional valence, heart rate, and vocal frequency (f0), and intensity (dB) of the discourse adjectives and interjections were determined through the application of computational software to the visual (FaceReader) and sound (PRAAT) tracks of the videotape recordings. The extensive data obtained were analyzed by three statistical strategies: linear multilevel modeling, correlation matrices, and exploratory network analysis. In comparison with healthy controls, BPD patients express a third less sadness and show a higher number of positive correlations (14 vs. 8) and a cluster of related nodes among the prosodic parameters and the facial expressions of anger, disgust, and contempt. In contrast, control subjects showed negative or null correlations between such facial expressions and prosodic parameters. It seems feasible that BPD patients restrain the facial expression of specific emotions in an attempt to achieve social acceptance. Moreover, the confluence of prosodic and facial expressions of negative emotions reflects a sympathetic activation which is opposed to the social engagement system. Such BPD imbalance reflects an emotional alteration and a dysfunctional behavioral strategy that may constitute a useful biobehavioral indicator of the severity and clinical course of the disorder. This face/voice/heart rate emotional expression assessment (EMEX) may be used in the search for reliable biobehavioral correlates of other psychopathological conditions.

Lunar periodic modulation of the circadian activity rhythm in a wild North Colombian night monkey (Aotus griseimembra).

South American night monkeys (genus Aotus) are the only nocturnal simian primates. Early activity recordings in North Colombian A. griseimembra monkeys kept under semi-natural conditions and extensive chronobiological studies carried out in laboratory settings revealed a strictly nocturnal behavior and strong activity enhancing (disinhibiting) effects of moonlight or corresponding luminosities during the dark time. To check whether the results from captive individuals correspond to the behavior of wild monkeys, we carried out long-term activity recordings of a wild female A. griseimembra in a tropical rainforest near San Juan de Carare, Northern Colombia. Our data from about 150 days of continuous activity records with an "Actiwatch Mini" (CamNtech, UK) accelerometer-data logger device, confirmed: (1) strictly nocturnal behavior, (2) a pronounced bimodal activity pattern with prominent peaks during dusk and dawn, and (3) a lunar periodic modulation (masking) of the night monkey's circadian activity rhythm due to distinct activity inhibiting effects of the absence of moonlight throughout the night. The results from this wild-living tropical night monkey are consistent with those from captive conspecifics studied decades earlier.

Changes in facial emotion expression during a psychotherapeutic intervention for patients with borderline personality disorder.

Emotional dysregulation is one of the main features of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Therefore, it constitutes a central therapeutic objective of the interventions that have proven to be effective for these patients, including the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). However, benefits on emotional regulation have been evaluated through self-report instruments, and an anatomically based, objective, and precise measurement of the ability to change the type, duration and frequency of emotions is still needed. OBJECTIVE: To assess facial emotion expression, valence and arousal during an ACT based intervention, between initial, middle and final therapeutic sessions for BPD patients. METHOD: Using the FaceReader 7.0, 29 recordings of individual therapeutic sessions for BPD patients during an ACT intervention trial were analyzed. RESULTS: Happiness and fear intensity increase from the beginning to the end of the sessions, while sadness decreases. Emotional valence exhibits a significant decrease in its negative value during sessions from -0.13 (S.D. = 0.12) at the initial part of the sessions to -0.06 (S.D. = 0.08) by the end of the sessions, with a moderate effect size (Cohen d = 0.69). Emotional arousal increased from the beginning to the end of sessions and whole intervention. CONCLUSION: The emotional valence and arousal differed according to the psychotherapeutically process involved during ACT intervention, suggesting that the systematic analysis of facial expressions allows a rigorously examination of the relations between emotions, physiological processes, and instrumental behavior experimented though a psychotherapeutically process.

Brain Connectivity in Ateles geoffroyi: Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Working Memory and Executive Control.

The objective of this research was to describe the organization and connectivity of the working memory (WM) and executive control (EC) networks in Ateles geoffroyi in resting-state conditions. Recent studies have shown that resting-state activity may underlie rudimentary brain functioning, showing that several brain regions can be tonically active at rest, maximizing the efficiency of information transfer while preserving a low physical connection cost. Whole-brain resting-state images were acquired from three healthy adult Ateles monkeys (2 females, 1 male; mean age 10.5 ± SD 2.5 years). Data were analyzed with independent component analysis, and results were grouped together using the GIFT software. The present study compared the EC and WM networks obtained with human data and with results found in the literature in other primate species. Nine resting-state networks were found, which were similar to resting networks found in healthy human adults in the prefrontal basal portion and frontopolar area. Additionally, components of the WM network were found to be extending into the hypothalamus and the olfactory areas. A key finding was the discovery of connections in the WM and EC networks to the hypothalamus, the motor cortex, and the entorhinal cortex, suggesting that information is integrated from larger brain areas. The correlated areas suggest that many elements of WM and EC may be conserved across primate species. Characterization of these networks in resting-state conditions in nonhuman primate brains is a fundamental prerequisite for understanding of the neural bases underlying the evolution and function of this cognitive system.

Estudio de traducción y validez del Sistema de Codificación Etológica para Entrevistas ECSI (Ethological Coding System for Interviews) / Study of the application and validation of the Ethological Coding System for Interviews (ECSI)

Antecedentes El diagnóstico psicoterapéutico se fundamenta en exploraciones verbales y/o pruebas psicológicas. En contraste, a menudo se descuida la relevancia de la comunicación no-verbal. El objetivo del presente artículo es aportar una herramienta para medir y evaluar conductas no-verbales en entrevistas clínicas, basado en el Ethological Coding System for Interviews (ECSI), desarrollado por Troisi (1999), el cual se tradujo y validó en español. Un etograma es un catálogo de conductas o patrones conductuales, operacionalizados y agrupados en categorías, como afiliación, evasión, asertividad, relajación, entre otras. Método Estudio 1. El etograma ECSI fue traducido al español. Tres observadores "ciegos" registraron las frecuencias de los patrones conductuales del paciente. Los registros se realizaron en intervalos de 15 segundos durante los primeros y últimos 10 minutos de la entrevista clínica. Se obtuvo una validez interobservador de r=0.989, p<0.001. Estudio 2. Con base en el primer estudio se consideró pertinente agregar patrones conductuales, así como reacomodar y redefinir las categorías propuestas. Los tres observadores realizaron el mismo procedimiento que en el estudio 1 con una segunda videograbación. Además de las frecuencias de las conductas observadas, se midió la duración de la conducta. Se obtuvo una validez interobservadores de r=0.993, p<0.001. Resultados y discusión Se probó que el ECSI es una herramienta confiable y válida para examinar la conducta no-verbal de pacientes durante entrevistas. Se espera que el ECSI se pueda incluir al proceso diagnóstico durante las sesiones psicoterapéuticas.

Background Psychotherapeutic diagnosis is largely based on verbal explorations and/or psychological tests. In contrast, the relevance of non-verbal communication is often disregarded. Here, we aim to provide a tool to measure and assess non-verbal behavior in clinical interviews, based on the Ethological Coding System for Interviews (ECSI), developed by Troisi (1999), which was translated and validated in Spanish. An ethogram is a catalogue of behaviours or patterns of behaviour, which are operationalized and grouped in categories such as affiliation, flight, assertiveness, relaxation and so forth. Method Study 1. The ECSI was translated into Spanish. Three "blind" observers registered the frequencies of the behavioral patterns of the patient. The recordings were made in 15 seconds intervals during the first and the last 10 minutes of a clinical interview. An inter-observer reliability of r=0.989, p<0.001 was obtained. Study 2. Based on the first study, it was considered pertinent to add behavioral patterns, as well as rearranging and redefining the proposed categories. The three "blind" observers performed the same task as in study 1 with a second video-recording. Aside from the frequency of the observed behaviours, the duration of the behavior was measured. An inter-observer reliability of r=0.993, p<0.001 was obtained. Results and discussion The ECSI has proven a reliable and valid tool for the examination of patients' nonverbal behaviour during interviews. It is hoped that the ECSI can be added to the diagnostic process during psychotherapeutic sessions.

Efecto del enriquecimiento ambiental en un grupo de monos araña (Ateles geoffroyi) en cautiverio / Effect of environmental enrichment in a group of captive spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)

Los animales que viven en cautiverio padecen problemas relacionados con el estrés y la falta de estimulación. El enriquecimiento ambiental (EA) proporciona a los animales en esta situación un conjunto de actividades que los alienta a presentar conductas típicas de su especie. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar el efecto de un programa de EA en la conducta de una colonia de siete monos araña (Ateles geoffroyi). Se esperaba que la agresión, la coprofilia y las estereotipias fueran menos frecuentes entre los monos, mientras que la exploración y el juego se presentaran con mayor frecuencia. Para ello, la investigación se dividió en dos etapas: una etapa previa al EA y una etapa durante el EA. En cada etapa se registraron las siguientes categorías conductuales: agresión, coprofilia, estereotipias, exploración y juego. Se utilizó un muestreo focal por conducta en registros continuos de 1 hr., obteniéndose en cada etapa 40 hrs. de observación. Al comparar la frecuencia de dichas conductas con la prueba de los signos de Wilcoxon, se encontró que la agresión, las estereotipias y la coprofilia disminuyeron durante el EA. La exploración y el juego se incrementaron significativamente con el EA. No se observaron diferencias significativas al comparar el sexo de los individuos. El EA disminuye los problemas causados por el confinamiento, por lo que debe contemplarse como una herramienta indispensable que de manera constante mejore las condiciones de vida en individuos confinados.

Captive animals suffer from stress and lack of stimulation. Environmental enrichment (EE) provides them with a series of activities that encourages them to present species-specific behaviors. The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of an EE program in the behavior of a 7-spider monkey colony. It was expected that aggression, coprophilia and stereotypes would be less frequent, while exploration and play would increase. The study was divided in two stages: one previous to EE and one while EE was being implemented. A focal sampling per behavior was undertaken in 1-h continuous recordings for a total of 40 hours per stage. We compared the frequency of each behavior with a Wilcoxon's signal test. The results showed that aggression, stereotypes and coprophilia were reduced during EE, while exploration and play increased significantly. No significant differences were found between sexes. EE reduces the problems originated by confinement; therefore, it must be considered a necessary tool to be continuously employed to make an improvement into the life conditions of confined individuals.