Exploring social emotion processing in autism: evaluating the reading the mind in the eyes test using network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include difficulties in processing and interpreting socioemotional information. The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test (RMET) is a validated measurement for processing socioemotional ability. However, previous RMET studies did not explore patterns of incorrect answers and the emotional valence of the test items. This study used the Taiwanese version of the RMET and the network analysis methods to examine the differences in underlying mechanisms of socioemotional processes between 30 males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (mean age = 18 years) and 30 healthy control males (mean age = 17 years). For each test item, a picture of a person's eyes and partial face was shown with four words describing the emotional status on picture corners. Participants were instructed to choose one of the four words that best matched the person's thinking or feeling. We further classified the words into three valences of emotional categories to examine socioemotional processes. RESULTS: Our results showed that ASD males performed poorer on the RMET than the controls. ASD males had higher network density and in-degree scores, especially in negative words, than control males. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that males with ASD might have deficits in mapping the best emotional concept words to the target item, especially for processing negative emotion.

Social cognition in schizophrenia: A network-based approach to a Taiwanese version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine social-cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia using the Eyes test. In contrast to previous methods using the correct answers, we developed the Taiwanese version of the Eyes test and constructed the response network to explore impairments in the emotional aspects of theory of mind in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Eighteen patients with schizophrenia and 18 healthy controls were recruited to examine their performance of the Eyes test. To explore the internal structures of mental states, we used network analysis to construct the networks of choice patterns (i.e. participants' answers) by using two network indicators, including density (an index of structure diversity of a network) and centrality (an index of the choice patterns within a network). Moreover, we divided all the choices into negative, positive, and neutral item groups based on emotion polarity. RESULTS: The patient group was slower and less accurate than the control group. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between accuracy and blunted affect, and there were positive correlations between reaction time and emotional withdrawal and apathetic social withdrawal. As compared to healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia showed larger density in the network structure and higher centrality than controls. Also, patients showed poorer performance on negative words than healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated more diversity to recognize negative emotions from patients' choice patterns as compared to those in the control group. These findings suggest that deficits on recognizing negative emotions might be associated with the dysfunctions of mental states in schizophrenia.

[Distributions, Sources and Pollution Assessment of Hg in Sediment of Douhe Reservoir in Tangshan City].

Sediment cores from Douhe reservoir in Tangshan City were sampled in August 2013, in order to evaluate the mercury (Hg) pollution degree and its possible sources. Agriculture soils surrounding the Douhe reservoir and sediments from an upstream reservoir (Daheiting) were also collected. Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), dissolved mercury in pore water (DHg) and organic matter (OM) in sediment of Douhe reservoir were analyzed, while, only THg in the agriculture soils and upstream reservoir sediments was determined. Finally, the geoaccumulation index method was applied to evaluate the Hg pollution status in soils and reservoir sediments. The results showed that THg content in sediment of Douhe reservoir ranged from 19 to 97 ng·g-1. dw, MeHg (dw) from 0.02 to 1.27 ng·g-1, and the contents of both THg and MeHg were higher in the upper layers than the deeper layers, indicating that Hg in sediments was increasing in recent years by the exogenetic loadings. THg (dw) in soils offshore the Douhe reservoir, which is close to a large coal-fired power plant, averaged at 22 ng·g-1. Among the three sediment cores of Douhe reservoir, the central point had the highest THg, followed by the western site, and the eastern site had the lowest THg. While, THg content (dw) in sediments of Daheiting reservoir was much higher, with a mean of 176 ng·g-1. Combining all the above information, we concluded that Hg in Douhe reservoir was mainly derived from the Daheiting reservoir and the mercury atmospheric deposition from the nearby coal-fired power plant contributed a less content. THg and MeHg in the sediments of Douhe reservoir were positively correlated with OM, indicating that OM in sediments had good ability of adsorbing THg and MeHg, and also played an important role in Hg methylation. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) showed that the Hg pollution status deceased in this order:central of Daheting, Daba of Daheting, central of Douhe, western of Douhe, eastern of Douhe, soils surrounding Douhe. Central and western sites in Douhe belonged to moderate pollution and the eastern site belonged to slight pollution. While, sediments of Daheiting reservoir, affected by the iron ore mining activities, were in the moderate and strong pollution status.