Altered upright face recognition and presence of face inversion effect in temporal lobe epilepsy: An event-related potential study.

AIM: Facial recognition can be assessed by examining an event-related potential component, namely the N170. The amplitude of the N170 is larger in response to inverted faces than to upright faces. To examine facial processing in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), we investigated the amplitude of the N170, the face inversion effect, and the association between social functioning and face-specific configuration processing. METHODS: Sixteen patients with TLE and 17 normal controls (NC) participated in this study. Event-related potentials in response to upright or inverted neutral faces and bicycles were recorded. Social functioning was assessed by the socioeconomic status of the participants using the 5-point Hollingshead-Redlich Scale. RESULTS: Compared with NC, patients with TLE had decreased N170 amplitudes. The inversion effect was observed for face stimuli in both groups; however, no inversion effect was observed for bicycle stimuli. Additionally, in TLE patients, but not in NC, socioeconomic status was significantly correlated with the N170 amplitudes in response to upright faces. CONCLUSION: In a social context, upright faces are processed as a whole. This process is impaired in TLE. Conversely, inverted faces are processed analytically. This function is normal in TLE. Abnormal face-specific configuration processing may contribute to lower social functioning in TLE.

Affective temperaments play an important role in the relationship between childhood abuse and depressive symptoms in major depressive disorder.

Previous studies have shown that various factors, such as genetic and environmental factors, contribute to the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study is to clarify how multiple factors, including affective temperaments, childhood abuse and adult life events, are involved in the severity of depressive symptoms in MDD. A total of 98 participants with MDD were studied using the following self-administered questionnaire surveys: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 measuring the severity of depressive symptoms; Life Experiences Survey (LES) measuring negative and positive adult life events; Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) measuring affective temperaments; and the Child Abuse and Trauma Scale (CATS) measuring childhood abuse. The data were analyzed using single and multiple regression analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM). The neglect score reported by CATS indirectly predicted the severity of depressive symptoms through affective temperaments measured by TEMPS-A in SEM. Four temperaments (depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious) directly predicted the severity of depressive symptoms. The negative change in the LES score also directly predicted severity. This study suggests that childhood abuse, especially neglect, indirectly increases the severity of depressive symptoms through increased scores of affective temperaments in MDD.

The structural equation analysis of childhood abuse, adult stressful life events, and temperaments in major depressive disorders and their influence on refractoriness.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the interaction between heredity and childhood stress or life events on the pathogenesis of a major depressive disorder (MDD). In this study, we tested our hypothesis that childhood abuse, affective temperaments, and adult stressful life events interact and influence the diagnosis of MDD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 170 healthy controls and 98 MDD patients were studied using the following self-administered questionnaire surveys: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Life Experiences Survey, the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire, and the Child Abuse and Trauma Scale (CATS). The data were analyzed with univariate analysis, multivariable analysis, and structural equation modeling. RESULTS: The neglect scores of the CATS indirectly predicted the diagnosis of MDD through cyclothymic and anxious temperament scores of the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire in the structural equation modeling. Two temperaments - cyclothymic and anxious - directly predicted the diagnosis of MDD. The validity of this result was supported by the results of the stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis as follows: three factors - neglect, cyclothymic, and anxious temperaments - were significant predictors of MDD. Neglect and the total CATS scores were also predictors of remission vs treatment-resistance in MDD patients independently of depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small for the comparison between the remission and treatment-resistant groups in MDD patients in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that childhood abuse, especially neglect, indirectly predicted the diagnosis of MDD through increased affective temperaments. The important role as a mediator of affective temperaments in the effect of childhood abuse on MDD was suggested.

Psychological effects of disaster relief activities on Japan ground self-defense force personnel following the 2011 great east Japan earthquake.

OBJECTIVE: Disaster relief workers are potentially exposed to severe stressors on the job, resulting in a variety of psychological responses. This study aims to clarify the psychological effects of disaster relief activities on Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. METHOD: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 606 JGSDF personnel one month after completing the disaster relief mission. Posttraumatic stress responses and general psychological distress were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the K10 scales. Associations between outcome variables and independent variables (age, gender, military rank, length of deployment, and exposure to dead bodies) were measured with univariate analyses and subsequent multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean (± SD) IES-R score was 6.2 (± 8.1), and the mean K10 score was 12.8 (± 4.4). In the univariate analyses, exposure to dead bodies and age were identified as significant factors for IES-R and K10 scores, (p < 0.01). However, the multiple logistic regression analyses did not reveal any significant factors although body handlers' exposure approached significance for IES-R. CONCLUSIONS: The subjects reported very low psychological responses despite the severe nature of their disaster relief activities. Several factors may account for the low levels of psychological distress and posttraumatic symptoms observed in this study.

Altered face inversion effect and association between face N170 reduction and social dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: There is accumulating evidence that schizophrenics may have deficits in facial recognition, which has been related to disease-specific disturbances in normal social interaction. Neurophysiologically, face inversion results in an amplitude increase of the event-related potential (ERP) component N170. This face inversion effect (FIE) presumably reflects a disruption of face-specific configuration processing. The present study investigated FIE and the associations between social functioning and N170 in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 15 schizophrenics and 15 controls. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to upright and inverted neutral faces and cars were recorded. The relationships between the Social Functioning Scale (SFS) scores and N170 amplitude to upright faces or cars were also evaluated. RESULTS: Normal controls exhibited a significant FIE of the N170 amplitude, while schizophrenics showed no FIE. In both normal controls and schizophrenics, no inversion effect was observed for car stimuli. For face stimuli, schizophrenics showed significant bilateral N170 reduction; additionally, in schizophrenics, but not in controls, the SFS was significantly correlated with N170 amplitudes to upright faces. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate face-specific configuration processing deficits and significant associations between face-N170 reduction and social dysfunction in schizophrenia. SIGNIFICANCE: Abnormal face-specific configuration processing may underlie some of the social dysfunctions in schizophrenia.

Mental health in Japanese members of the United Nations peacekeeping contingent in the Golan Heights: effects of deployment and the Middle East situation.

This study evaluates the mental health of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) members of the peacekeeping contingent in the Golan Heights before and since the Second Gulf War between 1998 and 2003. Before the war, the General Health Questionnaire 30 (GHQ30) scores during and after duty tended to be lower than those before duty; all scores were lower than those of adult Japanese men in general. After the war, GHQ30 scores did not significantly change between before, during, and after duty. Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) scores were not significantly different between groups. Stressors identified included problems with foreign language and familial matters at home. Post war stressors included work content and relationships with collaborating foreign army units. These findings suggest that the mental health of contingent members remained stable, with some variation in mental health conditions influenced by the situation in the Middle East. This study suggests that the stable mental condition of JSDF personnel during their deployment in the absence of combat, and that this could be enhanced by education about mental health issues and by providing counseling support to their families.

Social anxiety predicts unconsciously provoked emotional responses to facial expression.

Previous psychometric studies using a visual search task suggested that interpersonal fear in individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) may be processed by unconscious preattentive mechanisms. However, little is known about relationships between social anxiety and preattentive emotional responses. We explored whether social anxiety is associated with preattentive emotional responses to facial expression. Groups with high and low social anxiety were selected from 125 healthy volunteers according to scores on the Social Phobia Inventory. Fearful and happy faces were presented subliminally using backward masking, with skin conductance responses (SCRs) being measured as an autonomic index of emotional responses. SCRs to these two facial expressions were compared between groups. The group with high social anxiety showed significantly greater differences in SCRs between masked fearful and happy faces than the group with low social anxiety. Social anxiety was associated with unconscious autonomic responses to fearful faces. A preattentive interpersonal threat evaluation system may be an important factor in SAD.

Effect of paroxetine on a model of posttraumatic stress disorder in rats.

To better understand neurochemical and psychopharmacological aspects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is necessary to establish an animal model of PTSD in which behavioral changes persist after the initial traumatization. We administered inescapable electric foot-shock (IS) to male Wistar rats in a shuttle-box with the gate closed. With or without paroxetine (PRX; belonging to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) treatment for 2 weeks after IS, we performed an avoidance/escape task session in the shuttle-box using signal lights as non-specific anxiogenic stimulants. Locomotor activity decreased before the task session and avoidance behavior increased during the session. Two weeks of PRX administration reduced hypervigilant behavior during the task session. We considered these behavioral changes as representative of numbing/avoidance and hypervigilance, referred to as bi-directional changes in PTSD.