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Diržius E, Pakanavičiūtė R, Andriuškevičiūtė D, Leskauskas D, Bulatov A. Variations in Oppel-Kundt Illusion Strength Among Depressive and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder Groups: Impact of Benzodiazepine Use. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2025; 61:835. [PMID: 40428793 DOI: 10.3390/medicina61050835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2025] [Revised: 04/23/2025] [Accepted: 04/26/2025] [Indexed: 05/29/2025]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The Oppel-Kundt (O-K) geometric optical illusion has been studied among people with mental disorders to understand the differences in their visual perception. Earlier studies were mainly focused on patients with schizophrenia, while less is known about patients with depression and the influence of medication use. The objectives were to compare illusion manifestation for schizophrenia, depression, and to evaluate possible differences depending on drug use. Materials and Methods: The stimuli consisted of three horizontally arranged dots, which were considered as terminators specifying the ends of the reference and the test stimulus intervals. The reference interval was filled with a set of distracting dots and changed, at random, from 0 to 19. The participants were asked to place the central terminator in the middle, between the outer ones. The trial consisted of 10 different figures, and each trial was repeated 10 times. This study involved 35 patients with depression and schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a comparison group of 35 persons. Information about drug use by patients was retrieved from their medical records. Results: OK illusion manifested stronger in patients with depression compared to the other subjects. The patients who were taking benzodiazepines made greater errors evaluating OK figures than those who were not. No differences were found regarding other drug use. The limitations include a limited sample and possible interfering effects of other drugs, especially antidepressants, which have been shown to affect illusion perception. Conclusions: The OK illusion was more prominent in the patients with depression and in those who were taking benzodiazepines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgaras Diržius
- Institute of Biological Systems and Genetic Research, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
- Department of Psychiatry, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Rasa Pakanavičiūtė
- Department of Psychiatry, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | | | - Darius Leskauskas
- Department of Psychiatry, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Aleksandr Bulatov
- Institute of Biological Systems and Genetic Research, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
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2
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Scalabrini A, Poletti S, Vai B, Paolini M, Gao Y, Hu YT, Liu DY, Song XM, Tan ZL, Mucci C, Colombo C, Benedetti F, Northoff G. Abnormally slow dynamics in occipital cortex of depression. J Affect Disord 2025; 374:523-530. [PMID: 39818334 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.01.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 11/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2025] [Indexed: 01/18/2025]
Abstract
AIM Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by altered activity in various higher-order regions like the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex. While some findings also show changes in lower-order sensory regions like the occipital cortex in MDD, the latter's exact neural and temporal, e.g., dynamic characterization and symptom severity remains yet unclear. METHODS We conducted resting state fMRI in MDD (N = 49) and healthy controls to investigate the global activity representation of the brain's spontaneous activity in occipital cortex including lower-order (V1) and higher-order (hMT+) regions in the hierarchy of the visual cortex. We further explored (i) these regions' functional connectivity to higher-order prefrontal and subcortical regions, (ii) global signal correlation differences between MDD and controls in different frequency bands, and (iii) their power spectrum's correlation (using median frequency/MF) with symptom severity. RESULTS Our findings in MDD show: (i) abnormally high functional connectivity of the occipital cortex to both subcortical and higher-order cortical regions; (ii) occipital global signal correlation is reduced mainly in the faster infraslow frequency range (slow 3: 0.073 to 0.198 Hz) as distinguished from the slower ones (slow 5 and 4: 0.01 to 0.027 Hz, and 0.027 to 0.073 Hz); (iii) the reduced neural dynamics in occipital cortex (MF) correlate with the severity of both overall depressive symptoms and psychomotor retardation scores. CONCLUSIONS MDD shows reduced global activity with abnormally slow neural dynamics in occipital cortex that is functionally connected with higher-order regions like the anterior cingulate cortex. The slow dynamics in occipital cortex relates to overall symptom severity and psychomotor retardation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Scalabrini
- University of Bergamo, Department of Human and Social Sciences, Bergamo, Italy.
| | - Sara Poletti
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Benedetta Vai
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
| | - Marco Paolini
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Yuan Gao
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Ting Hu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dong-Yu Liu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xue Mei Song
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhong-Lin Tan
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Clara Mucci
- University of Bergamo, Department of Human and Social Sciences, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Cristina Colombo
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy; Mood Disorders Unit, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Georg Northoff
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
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3
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Nickel K, Heinrich SP, Beringer M, Endres D, Runge K, Küchlin S, Maier S, Bach M, Domschke K, Tebartz van Elst L, Friedel EBN. Alterations in center-surround contrast suppression in patients with major depressive disorder. Sci Rep 2024; 14:28160. [PMID: 39548175 PMCID: PMC11568198 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78584-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 11/01/2024] [Indexed: 11/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous pattern electroretinogram studies indicate reduced retinal contrast gain in patients with a major depressive disorder (MDD) which may contribute to alterations in visual perception. In line, psychophysical investigations reported elevated contrast thresholds in MDD. This study aims to gain insights into higher-level processing of visual information in MDD by evaluating contrast suppression. We examined contrast suppression of 21 MDD patients and 23 healthy controls (HC) using four different stimulus conditions (spatial frequencies 6.3 and 12.6 cpd at 30% and 60% background contrast) in a psychophysical test. Participants were instructed to adjust perceived contrasts between two vertical target patches, embedded in a horizontally or vertically oriented grid background. With finer stimulus gratings, MDD patients exhibited less contrast suppression compared to HC, particularly when the stimulus contrast was high (p = 0.006; MDD vs. HC = - 45%). Contrast suppression in the HC group was significantly reduced for the coarse compared to the fine grating, while contrast suppression scores in MDD did not change with the spatial properties of the stimulus. The reduced contrast suppression in patients with MDD supports the hypothesis of altered dopaminergic neurotransmission and could be attributed to alterations in the retinal receptive fields or in dysfunctional adaptation mechanisms in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Nickel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Sven P Heinrich
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Malina Beringer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dominique Endres
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kimon Runge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Küchlin
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Maier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bach
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Evelyn B N Friedel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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4
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Friedel EBN, Tebartz van Elst L, Beringer M, Endres D, Runge K, Maier S, Kornmeier J, Bach M, Domschke K, Heinrich SP, Nickel K. Reduced contrast sensitivity, pattern electroretinogram ratio, and diminished a-wave amplitude in patients with major depressive disorder. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024:10.1007/s00406-024-01826-8. [PMID: 38805071 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01826-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The electroretinogram (ERG), a non-invasive electrophysiological tool used in ophthalmology, is increasingly applied to investigate neural correlates of depression. The present study aimed to reconsider previous findings in major depressive disorder (MDD) reporting (1) a diminished contrast sensitivity and (2) a reduced patten ERG (PERG) amplitude ratio, and additionally, to assess (3) the photopic negative response (PhNR) from the flash ERG (fERG), with the RETeval® device, a more practical option for clinical routine use. We examined 30 patients with a MDD and 42 healthy controls (HC), assessing individual contrast sensitivity thresholds with an optotype-based contrast test. Moreover, we compared the PERG ratio, an established method for early glaucoma detection, between both groups. The handheld ERG device was used to measure amplitudes and peak times of the fERG components including a-wave, b-wave and PhNR in both MDD patients and HCs. MDD patients exhibited diminished contrast sensitivity together with a reduced PERG ratio, compared to HC. With the handheld ERG device, we found reduced a-wave amplitudes in MDD, whereas no significant differences were observed in the fERG b-wave or PhNR between patients and controls. The reduced contrast sensitivity and PERG ratio in MDD patients supports the hypothesis that depression is associated with altered visual processing. The findings underscore the PERG's potential as a possible objective marker for depression. The reduced a-wave amplitude recorded with the RETeval® system in MDD patients might open new avenues for using handheld ERG devices as simplified approaches for advancing depression research compared to the PERG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn B N Friedel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Malina Beringer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dominique Endres
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kimon Runge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Maier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kornmeier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bach
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven P Heinrich
- Eye Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Nickel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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Copa D, Erritzoe D, Giribaldi B, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R, Tagliazucchi E. Predicting the outcome of psilocybin treatment for depression from baseline fMRI functional connectivity. J Affect Disord 2024; 353:60-69. [PMID: 38423367 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic drug under assessment as a potential therapy for treatment-resistant and major depression. Heterogeneous treatment responses raise interest in predicting the outcome from baseline data. METHODS A machine learning pipeline was implemented to investigate baseline resting-state functional connectivity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a predictor of symptom severity in psilocybin monotherapy for treatment-resistant depression (16 patients administered two 5 mg capsules followed by 25 mg, separated by one week). Generalizability was tested in a sample of 22 patients who participated in a psilocybin vs. escitalopram trial for moderate-to-severe major depression (two separate doses of 25 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily placebo vs. two separate doses of 1 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily oral escitalopram). The analysis was repeated using both samples combined. RESULTS Functional connectivity of visual, default mode and executive networks predicted early symptom improvement, while the salience network predicted responders up to 24 weeks after treatment (accuracy≈0.9). Generalization performance was borderline significant. Consistent results were obtained from the combined sample analysis. Fronto-occipital and fronto-temporal coupling predicted early and late symptom reduction, respectively. LIMITATIONS The number of participants and differences between the two datasets limit the generalizability of the findings, while the lack of a placebo arm limits their specificity. CONCLUSIONS Baseline neurophysiological measurements can predict the outcome of psilocybin treatment for depression. Future research based on larger datasets should strive to assess the generalizability of these predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Débora Copa
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Bioingeniería, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - David Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Academic Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bruna Giribaldi
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Academic Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Nutt
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Academic Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Academic Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Física, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Física Interdisciplinaria y Aplicada (INFINA), Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago, Chile
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Zafar I, Burles F, Berger L, McLaren-Gradinaru M, David AL, Dhillon I, Iaria G. Anxiety and Depressive Traits in the Healthy Population Does Not Affect Spatial Orientation and Navigation. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1638. [PMID: 38137086 PMCID: PMC10741661 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13121638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to navigate and orient in spatial surroundings is critical for effective daily functioning. Such ability is perturbed in clinically diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders, with patients exhibiting poor navigational skills. Here, we investigated the effects of depression and anxiety traits (not the clinical manifestation of the disorders) on the healthy population and hypothesized that greater levels of depression and anxiety traits would manifest in poorer spatial orientation skills and, in particular, with a poor ability to form mental representations of the environment, i.e., cognitive maps. We asked 1237 participants to perform a battery of spatial orientation tasks and complete two questionnaires assessing their anxiety and depression traits. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find any correlation between participants' anxiety and depression traits and their ability to form cognitive maps. These findings may imply a significant difference between the clinical and non-clinical manifestations of anxiety and depression as affecting spatial orientation and navigational abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Canadian Space Health Research Network, NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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Li Q, Steeg GV, Yu S, Malo J. Functional Connectome of the Human Brain with Total Correlation. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 24:1725. [PMID: 36554129 PMCID: PMC9777567 DOI: 10.3390/e24121725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies proposed the use of Total Correlation to describe functional connectivity among brain regions as a multivariate alternative to conventional pairwise measures such as correlation or mutual information. In this work, we build on this idea to infer a large-scale (whole-brain) connectivity network based on Total Correlation and show the possibility of using this kind of network as biomarkers of brain alterations. In particular, this work uses Correlation Explanation (CorEx) to estimate Total Correlation. First, we prove that CorEx estimates of Total Correlation and clustering results are trustable compared to ground truth values. Second, the inferred large-scale connectivity network extracted from the more extensive open fMRI datasets is consistent with existing neuroscience studies, but, interestingly, can estimate additional relations beyond pairwise regions. And finally, we show how the connectivity graphs based on Total Correlation can also be an effective tool to aid in the discovery of brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- Image Processing Laboratory, University of Valencia, 46980 Valencia, Spain
| | - Greg Ver Steeg
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA
| | - Shujian Yu
- Machine Learning Group, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jesus Malo
- Image Processing Laboratory, University of Valencia, 46980 Valencia, Spain
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Deisenhammer EA, Strasser A, Kemmler G. Reduced ability to discriminate colours - an under-recognised feature of depressive disorders? A pilot study. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract 2022; 26:321-326. [PMID: 34689697 DOI: 10.1080/13651501.2021.1993263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Background: Although in clinical practice an impairment of sensory perception is frequently reported by depressed patients no mention of these symptoms is made in DSM-5, ICD-10 or ICD-11. Previous studies on colour perception have largely relied on patient self-reports and few have studied colour discrimination.Methods: The ability to discriminate small colour differences was assessed in 30 patients currently experiencing a moderate to severe depressive episode (ICD-10: F32.1-2, F33.1-2 or F31.3-4) and 32 healthy controls using the colour buttons of the Farnsworth Munsell 100-Hue test. Data were analysed by standard tests for comparing two groups (t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-square test) and by ordinal regression and generalised estimating equation models.Results: Depressed patients failed significantly earlier (i.e., at larger differences between adjacent buttons) to discriminate between colours. This finding was retained after adjustment for potential confounders. There was no significant association with age, gender or depression score.Conclusions: We found a reduction in the ability to discriminate colours in depressed patients. This finding underlines the importance of sensory deficits as part of the symptomatology of depression. Sensory impairments should be taken into account in clinical care of patients with depression and should be included in diagnostic manuals. Further studies in larger samples including intra-individual comparisons between the depressed and the remitted state of patients are needed.Key pointsIn clinical practice, an impairment of sensory perception is frequently reported by depressed patients.However, no mention of these symptoms is made in the commonly used diagnostic manuals.In this pilot study, depressed patients and controls differed significantly in terms of the ability to discriminate colours with patients performing worse than their healthy counterparts.Sensory impairments should be taken into account in clinical care of patients with depression and should be included in diagnostic manuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eberhard A Deisenhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anna Strasser
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Georg Kemmler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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9
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Grange JA, Rydon-Grange M. Computational modelling of attentional selectivity in depression reveals perceptual deficits. Psychol Med 2022; 52:904-913. [PMID: 32713406 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720002652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is associated with broad deficits in cognitive control, including in visual selective attention tasks such as the flanker task. Previous computational modelling of depression and flanker task performance showed reduced pre-potent response bias and reduced executive control efficiency in depression. In the current study, we applied two computational models that account for the full dynamics of attentional selectivity. METHOD Across three large-scale online experiments (one exploratory experiment followed by two confirmatory - and pre-registered - experiments; total N = 923), we measured attentional selectivity via the flanker task and obtained measures of depression symptomology as well as anhedonia. We then fit two computational models that account for the dynamics of attentional selectivity: The dual-stage two-phase model, and the shrinking spotlight (SSP) model. RESULTS No behavioural measures were related to depression symptomology or anhedonia. However, a parameter of the SSP model that indexes the strength of perceptual input was consistently negatively associated with the magnitude of depression symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide evidence for deficits in perceptual representations in depression. We discuss the implications of this in relation to the hypothesis that perceptual deficits potentially exacerbate control deficits in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Grange
- School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, England, UK
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Brau JM, Sugarman A, Rothlein D, DeGutis J, Esterman M, Fortenbaugh FC. The impact of image degradation and temporal dynamics on sustained attention. J Vis 2022; 22:8. [PMID: 35297998 PMCID: PMC8944397 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.4.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Many clinical populations that have sustained attention deficits also have visual deficits. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how the quality of visual input and different forms of image degradation can contribute to worse performance on sustained attention tasks, particularly those with dynamic and complex visual stimuli. This study investigated the impact of image degradation on an adapted version of the gradual-onset continuous performance task (gradCPT), where participants must discriminate between gradually fading city and mountain scenes. Thirty-six normal-vision participants completed the task, which featured two blocks of six resolution and contrast levels. Subjects either completed a version with gradually fading or static image presentations. The results show decreases in image resolution impair performance under both types of temporal dynamics, whereas performance is only impaired under gradual temporal dynamics for decreases in image contrast. Image similarity analyses showed that performance has a higher association with an observer's ability to gather an image's global spatial layout (i.e. gist) than local variations in pixel luminance, particularly under gradual image presentation. This work suggests that gradually fading attention paradigms are sensitive to deficits in primary visual function, potentially leading to these issues being misinterpreted as attentional failures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Brau
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,
| | - Alexander Sugarman
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,
| | - David Rothlein
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Boston Attention and Learning Lab (BALLAB), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,
| | - Joseph DeGutis
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Boston Attention and Learning Lab (BALLAB), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.,
| | - Michael Esterman
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Boston Attention and Learning Lab (BALLAB), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,
| | - Francesca C Fortenbaugh
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.,
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Chen S, Zhong H, Mei G. Stable abnormalities of contrast discrimination sensitivity in subthreshold depression: A longitudinal study. Psych J 2022; 11:194-204. [PMID: 35168295 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Subthreshold depression (StD), as a subclinical state, is highly prevalent and increases the risk for developing major depressive disorder (MDD). Although several studies have reported deficits of contrast sensitivity in MDD patients, it is unclear whether individuals with StD could demonstrate deficits of contrast sensitivity and whether the deficits could remain stable over time. Here we used a contrast discrimination task (a suprathreshold task) and a contrast detection task (a near-threshold task) to compare contrast sensitivity of the StD group with that of matched non-depressed controls. For each task, a spatial four-alternative forced-choice method and a psychophysical QUEST procedure were used to measure contrast discrimination threshold or contrast detection threshold. Participants performed an initial assessment and a follow-up assessment 4 months later. Compared to the non-depressed controls, individuals with StD demonstrated reduced contrast discrimination sensitivity, not only at the initial assessment but also at the follow-up assessment, indicating a stable abnormality. Contrast discrimination thresholds at the initial assessment did not predict changes of depression symptom severity over time. For contrast detection sensitivity, there was no significant difference between the StD group and non-depressed controls. We concluded that contrast discrimination testing might provide a trait-dependent biomarker for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyu Chen
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Department of Education, Guiyang Ninth High School, Guiyang, China
| | - Han Zhong
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Gaoxing Mei
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
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12
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Mandryk RL, Birk MV, Vedress S, Wiley K, Reid E, Berger P, Frommel J. Remote Assessment of Depression Using Digital Biomarkers From Cognitive Tasks. Front Psychol 2022; 12:767507. [PMID: 34975656 PMCID: PMC8714741 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.767507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the design and evaluation of a sub-clinical digital assessment tool that integrates digital biomarkers of depression. Based on three standard cognitive tasks (D2 Test of Attention, Delayed Matching to Sample Task, Spatial Working Memory Task) on which people with depression have been known to perform differently than a control group, we iteratively designed a digital assessment tool that could be deployed outside of laboratory contexts, in uncontrolled home environments on computer systems with widely varying system characteristics (e.g., displays resolution, input devices). We conducted two online studies, in which participants used the assessment tool in their own homes, and completed subjective questionnaires including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)-a standard self-report tool for assessing depression in clinical contexts. In a first study (n = 269), we demonstrate that each task can be used in isolation to significantly predict PHQ-9 scores. In a second study (n = 90), we replicate these results and further demonstrate that when used in combination, behavioral metrics from the three tasks significantly predicted PHQ-9 scores, even when taking into account demographic factors known to influence depression such as age and gender. A multiple regression model explained 34.4% of variance in PHQ-9 scores with behavioral metrics from each task providing unique and significant contributions to the prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regan L Mandryk
- Interaction Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Max V Birk
- Systemic Change Group, Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Sarah Vedress
- Interaction Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Katelyn Wiley
- Interaction Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Reid
- Interaction Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Phaedra Berger
- Interaction Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Julian Frommel
- Interaction Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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13
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Schwitzer T, Leboyer M, Schwan R. A Reflection Upon the Contribution of Retinal and Cortical Electrophysiology to Time of Information Processing in Psychiatric Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:856498. [PMID: 35449563 PMCID: PMC9017967 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.856498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schwitzer
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie d'Adultes et d'Addictologie du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou, France.,INSERM U1254, IADI, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France.,Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lorraine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.,Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France
| | - Marion Leboyer
- Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,Université Paris Est Creteil (UPEC), AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires ≪ H. Mondor ≫, DMU IMPACT, FHU ADAPT, INSERMU955, IMRB, Translational Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, Creteil, France
| | - Raymund Schwan
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie d'Adultes et d'Addictologie du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou, France.,INSERM U1254, IADI, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France.,Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lorraine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.,Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France
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14
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Complete evaluation of retinal function in Major Depressive Disorder: From central slowdown to hyperactive periphery. J Affect Disord 2021; 295:453-462. [PMID: 34507226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developing easy-to-access biomarkers is crucial in Major Depressive Disorder. The retina has already been suggested as relevant. However, there is a need for a global and local assessment of whole retinal function using a reproducible, standardized protocol allowing for comparison across studies. Our aim is to assess whole retinal function in patients with actual unipolar Major Depressive Episode (MDE) using pattern, flash and multifocal electroretinogram (ERG) according to the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision standardized protocols. METHODS We assessed retinal function in 14 males and females with MDE, diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and in age- and sex-matched healthy controls. RESULTS Comparing the patients with the controls, we observed the following using multifocal ERG: a significant increase in N1 peak time in ring 3 and a decrease in P1 amplitude in ring 2; using pattern ERG: a significant increase in P50 peak time; using flash ERG: a decrease in a- and b-wave peak time and an increase in the b-wave amplitude in dark-adapted 3.0, a decrease in a- and b-wave peak time and an increase in both wave amplitudes in light-adapted 3.0, and a decrease in the b-wave peak time in light-adapted flicker. LIMITATIONS Sample size. Contribution of pharmacological treatments to the outcomes cannot be formally excluded. CONCLUSIONS Patients with MDE exhibit delayed signaling in the central retina and hyperreactivity to light in the periphery. Central retinal function may be a marker of psychomotor retardation and cognitive impairment in MDE.
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15
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Friedel EBN, Tebartz van Elst L, Schmelz C, Ebert D, Maier S, Endres D, Runge K, Domschke K, Bubl E, Kornmeier J, Bach M, Heinrich SP, Nickel K. Replication of Reduced Pattern Electroretinogram Amplitudes in Depression With Improved Recording Parameters. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:732222. [PMID: 34778295 PMCID: PMC8585854 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.732222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The retina has gained increasing attention in non-ophthalmological research in recent years. The pattern electroretinogram (PERG), a method to evaluate retinal ganglion cell function, has been used to identify objective correlates of the essentially subjective state of depression. A reduction in the PERG contrast gain was demonstrated in patients with depression compared to healthy controls with normalization after remission. PERG responses are not only modulated by stimulus contrast, but also by check size and stimulation frequency. Therefore, the rationale was to evaluate potentially more feasible procedures for PERG recordings in daily diagnostics in psychiatry. Methods: Twenty-four participants (12 patients with major depression (MDD) and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls) were examined in this pilot study. We investigated PERG amplitudes for two steady-state pattern reversal frequencies (12.5/18.75 rps) and four sizes of a checkerboard stimulus (0.8°, 1.6°, 3.2°, and 16°) to optimize the PERG recordings in MDD patients. Results: Smaller PERG amplitudes in MDD patients were observed for all parameters, whereby the extent of the reduction appeared to be stimulus-specific. The most pronounced decline in the PERG of MDD patients was observed at the higher stimulation frequency and the finest pattern, whilst responses for the largest check size were less affected. Following the PERG ratio protocol for early glaucoma, where similar stimulus dependent modulations have been reported, we calculated PERG ratios (0.8°/16°) for all participants. At the higher frequency (18.75 rps), significantly reduced ratios were observed in MDD patients. Conclusion: The “normalization” of the PERG responses—via building a ratio—appears to be a very promising approach with regard to the development of an objective biomarker of the depressive state, facilitating inter-individual assessments of PERG recordings in patients with psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn B N Friedel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Eye Center, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Céline Schmelz
- Pfalzklinikum-Clinic for Psychiatry and Neurology, Klingenmünster, Germany
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Maier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dominique Endres
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kimon Runge
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Basics in Neuromodulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Emanuel Bubl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kornmeier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bach
- Eye Center, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sven P Heinrich
- Eye Center, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Nickel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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16
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Liu DY, Ju X, Gao Y, Han JF, Li Z, Hu XW, Tan ZL, Northoff G, Song XM. From Molecular to Behavior: Higher Order Occipital Cortex in Major Depressive Disorder. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2129-2139. [PMID: 34613359 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and other regions like the occipital cortex (OC) exhibit abnormal neural activity in major depressive disorder (MDD). Their relationship to specific biochemical, psychophysical, and psychopathological changes remains unclear, though. For that purpose, we focus on a particular subregion in OC, namely middle temporal (MT) visual area that is known to mediate the perception of visual motion. Using high-field 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including resting state functional MRI and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the blood oxygen level-dependent signal in MT, MT-seeded functional connectivity (FC), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in MT were investigated. Applying the vision motion psychophysical task, the motion suppression index of subjects was also examined. We demonstrate significantly elevated neural variability (as measured by ALFF) in MT together with decreases in both MT GABA and motion suppression in our MDD sample. Unlike in healthy subjects, MT neural variability no longer modulates the relationship of MT GABA and motion suppression in MDD. MT also exhibits reduction in global inter-regional FC to MPFC in MDD. Finally, elevated MT ALFF relates to specifically retardation in behavior as measured by the Hamilton subscore. Together, MT provides a strong candidate for biomarker in MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Yu Liu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xuan Ju
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Jin-Fang Han
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Zhe Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xi-Wen Hu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Zhong-Lin Tan
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Georg Northoff
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.,University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa; Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Xue Mei Song
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.,Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
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17
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Salmela V, Socada L, Söderholm J, Heikkilä R, Lahti J, Ekelund J, Isometsä E. Reduced visual contrast suppression during major depressive episodes. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2021; 46:E222-E231. [PMID: 33703869 PMCID: PMC8061742 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.200091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that processing of visual contrast information could be altered in major depressive disorder. To clarify the changes at different levels of the visual hierarchy, we behaviourally measured contrast perception in 2 centre-surround conditions, assessing retinal and cortical processing. METHODS As part of a prospective cohort study, our sample consisted of controls (n = 29; 21 female) and patients with unipolar depression, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder who had baseline major depressive episodes (n = 111; 74 female). In a brightness induction test that assessed retinal processing, participants compared the perceived luminance of uniform patches (presented on a computer screen) as the luminance of the backgrounds was varied. In a contrast suppression test that assessed cortical processing, participants compared the perceived contrast of gratings, which were presented with collinearly or orthogonally oriented backgrounds. RESULTS Brightness induction was similar for patients with major depressive episodes and controls (p = 0.60, d = 0.115, Bayes factor = 3.9), but contrast suppression was significantly lower for patients than for controls (p < 0.006, d = 0.663, Bayes factor = 35.2). We observed no statistically significant associations between contrast suppression and age, sex, or medication or diagnostic subgroup. At follow-up (n = 74), we observed some normalization of contrast perception. LIMITATIONS We assessed contrast perception using behavioural tests instead of electrophysiology. CONCLUSION The reduced contrast suppression we observed may have been caused by decreased retinal feedforward or cortical feedback signals. Because we observed intact brightness induction, our results suggest normal retinal but altered cortical processing of visual contrast during a major depressive episode. This alteration is likely to be present in multiple types of depression and to partially normalize upon remission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viljami Salmela
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
| | - Lumikukka Socada
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
| | - John Söderholm
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
| | - Roope Heikkilä
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
| | - Jari Lahti
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
| | - Jesper Ekelund
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
| | - Erkki Isometsä
- From the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Salmela, Lahti); and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland (Socada, Söderholm, Heikkilä, Ekelund, Isometsä)
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18
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Toth M, Jokić-Begić N. Psychological contribution to understanding the nature of dry eye disease: a cross-sectional study of anxiety sensitivity and dry eyes. Health Psychol Behav Med 2020; 8:202-219. [PMID: 34040868 PMCID: PMC8114394 DOI: 10.1080/21642850.2020.1770093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Dry eye disease (DED) represents a common health problem in the general population. Previous studies have demonstrated that the subjective symptoms of dry eye are associated with several psychological factors, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, there is a lack of empirical information about the mechanisms underlying the relationships between DED and various psychological symptoms. In light of emerging evidence of its trans-diagnostic nature, anxiety sensitivity (i.e. AS) represents one promising factor for further understanding DED. The present study aimed to explore whether anxiety sensitivity plays a role in the perception of DED symptoms in a community-based sample of adults aged 20-89 years (N = 381; M = 39.72, SD = 12.6). A dry ocular surface was reported by 22.8% of the participants. As expected, women more often reported symptoms of dry eye that could be categorized as moderate to severe. The findings demonstrated that AS, and the AS-psychological concerns dimension in particular, predict the intensity of dry eye symptoms above and beyond depressive and anxiety symptoms. These findings add to a growing body of work underscoring the relevance of AS in increasing the risk of chronic medical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Toth
- Department of Optometry, University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica, Velika Gorica, Croatia
| | - Nataša Jokić-Begić
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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19
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Matthews J, Nagao K, Ding C, Newby R, Kempster P, Hohwy J. Raised visual contrast thresholds with intact attention and metacognition in functional motor disorder. Cortex 2020; 125:161-174. [PMID: 31991241 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Functional motor disorders (FMDs) are distinguished by signs that lack congruence with recognised patterns of organic disease and show inconsistency over time. Their pathophysiology is poorly understood, but there is evidence that irregularities in perceptual and cognitive processing lie at the heart of these conditions. Here, we draw on a predictive coding account of functional neurological disorders to study perceptual decision-making in three groups: 20 patients with FMDs (14 with functional movements and 6 with functional weakness), 20 with phenotypically-matched organic motor disorders, and 20 age-matched healthy controls. We examine four cognitive domains with putative roles in FMD pathogenesis: attention, expectations, sensory processing (perceptual sensitivity), and metacognition (introspective evaluation of performance). We augmented a dual-task paradigm, manipulating the visual contrast required for target detection to examine these domains in one design. With sensory input (stimulus contrast) psychometrically adjusted to staircase target detection at a fixed level for all groups, the FMD group exhibited statistically equivalent attentional, expectational and metacognitive processing to healthy controls. However, we demonstrate Bayesian evidence and a frequentist trend that FMD patients require higher visual contrast than controls to maintain the same detection sensitivity (BF10 = 8.1, pholm = .066). This was statistically equivalent to the visual contrast required by the organic group, and unlikely to be accounted for by medication use or comorbid psychopathology. The organic group showed differences in processing of attention and expectations for target detection that were not observed in either healthy controls or the functional group. The distinctive behavioural profile of FMDs may arise from abnormalities in basic sensory processing, while higher attentional, expectational and metacognitive mechanisms remain intact. Conceptualising functional neurological disorders under a predictive coding account may consolidate and refine existing pathophysiological theories about them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Matthews
- Cognition & Philosophy Lab, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
| | - Kanae Nagao
- Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia.
| | - Catherine Ding
- Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia.
| | - Rachel Newby
- Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia.
| | - Peter Kempster
- Neurosciences Department, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Australia; Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
| | - Jakob Hohwy
- Cognition & Philosophy Lab, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
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20
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Qi X, Fan H, Yang X, Chen Y, Deng W, Guo W, Wang Q, Chen E, Li T, Ma X. High level of pattern glare in major depressive disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2019; 19:415. [PMID: 31864335 PMCID: PMC6925875 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-019-2399-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visual deficits have been reported in abundance by recent studies on major depressive disorder. Pattern glare manifests as visual distortions, such as the symptoms of headache, glare, eyestrain, illusions of shapes, colors, and motion when viewing repetitive striped patterns, of which some can be observed in major depressive disorder. Inspired by what mentioned, the present study aims to explore whether there exists association between pattern glare and major depressive disorder and further attempts to explore possible clinical diagnostic value of pattern glare in major depressive disorder. METHODS Twenty-four patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDDs group) were compared with 30 age-, gender- and education level-matched healthy control subjects (HCs group) on their visual stress with black-and-white gratings of different spatial frequencies-0.3 (low-SF), 2.3 (mid-SF), and 9.4 (high-SF) cycles per degree (c/deg)-which was named pattern glare test. The MDDs group divided into first episode medication-free group (fMDD) and recurrent medicated group (rMDD), comparisons of pattern glare scores (PGS) were performed within the MDDs group. We used Pearson and Spearman analysis to explore the relationship between some clinical indexes and pattern glare scores. ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve was used to evaluate whether pattern glare test was able to discriminate patients and healthy controls. RESULTS The mid-SF pattern glare score significantly elevated in patients with major depressive disorder compared to control subjects. No differences of pattern glare scores were found between fMDD and rMDD. A significant negative correlation between mid-high difference and age in HCs group was found. There were no correlations between other variables and pattern glare scores. The mid-SF score has limited value in the diagnosis of major depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS We observed an increased level of pattern glare in patients with major depressive disorder, reflecting the existence of cortical hyper-excitability in major depressive disorder. The mid-SF score may have a value in understanding cortical excitability in major depressive disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiongwei Qi
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China
| | - Huanhuan Fan
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao Yang
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yayun Chen
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei Deng
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China ,0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fWest China Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wanjun Guo
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China ,0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fWest China Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China ,0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fWest China Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Eric Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Tao Li
- 0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fPsychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 People’s Republic of China ,0000 0004 1770 1022grid.412901.fWest China Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaohong Ma
- Psychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, People's Republic of China. .,West China Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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Yang Y, Wang Y, Zhang C, Zhu J, Yu Y. Neuroanatomical substrates underlying contrast sensitivity. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2019; 9:503-509. [PMID: 31032196 DOI: 10.21037/qims.2019.03.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Contrast sensitivity (CS), a measurement of the ability to discriminate an object from its background, is an essential domain of visual functions. Eye aging or diseases are usually responsible for CS decline or impairment. However, whether neuroanatomical substrates are underlying CS is mostly unknown. METHODS High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data of 100 healthy young subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset were used to calculate gray matter volume (GMV). CS was assessed using the Mars Contrast Sensitivity Test. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between CS and GMV in a voxel-wise manner within the whole gray matter. RESULTS The range of Mars_Final scores for the 100 participants was from 1.08 to 1.88, and we found significant positive correlations between the CS scores and GMV in the bilateral visual cortex. Precisely, the significant bilateral clusters were mainly located in bilateral V3A, with the superior parts extending to the bilateral posterior parietal cortex. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest the critical role of the dorsal visual stream in CS processing, which may provide insights into the neuroanatomical mechanism of contrast sensitivity and its relation to some brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Yajun Wang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Cun Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Jiajia Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Yongqiang Yu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
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Moreno-Ortega M, Prudic J, Rowny S, Patel GH, Kangarlu A, Lee S, Grinband J, Palomo T, Perera T, Glasser MF, Javitt DC. Resting state functional connectivity predictors of treatment response to electroconvulsive therapy in depression. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5071. [PMID: 30911075 PMCID: PMC6433903 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41175-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is increasing focus on use of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses to subtype depression and to predict treatment response. To date, identification of RSFC patterns associated with response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remain limited, and focused on interactions between dorsal prefrontal and regions of the limbic or default-mode networks. Deficits in visual processing are reported in depression, however, RSFC with or within the visual network have not been explored in recent models of depression. Here, we support prior studies showing in a sample of 18 patients with depression that connectivity between dorsal prefrontal and regions of the limbic and default-mode networks serves as a significant predictor. In addition, however, we demonstrate that including visual connectivity measures greatly increases predictive power of the RSFC algorithm (>80% accuracy of remission). These exploratory results encourage further investigation into visual dysfunction in depression, and use of RSFC algorithms incorporating the visual network in prediction of response to both ECT and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), offering a new framework for the development of RSFC-guided TMS interventions in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Moreno-Ortega
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. .,Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
| | - J Prudic
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - S Rowny
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - G H Patel
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - A Kangarlu
- Department of Psychiatry, Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - S Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Biostatistics, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Grinband
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - T Palomo
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychiatry, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
| | - T Perera
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - M F Glasser
- Departments of Radiology and Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - D C Javitt
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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A Possible Link between Anxiety and Schizophrenia and a Possible Role of Anhedonia. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2018; 2018:5917475. [PMID: 29593903 PMCID: PMC5822762 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5917475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In the prodromal phase of schizophrenia, severe alterations of the visual appearance of the environment have been found, accompanied by a state of intense anxiety. The present study considers the possibility that these alterations really exist in the appearance of objects, but that healthy people do not see them. The image of the world that we see is continuously deformed and fragmented by foreshortenings, partial overlapping, and so on and must be constantly reassembled and interpreted; otherwise, it could change so much that we would hardly recognize it. Since pleasure has been found to be involved in visual and cognitive information processing, the possibility is considered that anhedonia (the reduction of the ability to feel pleasure) might interfere with the correct reconstruction and interpretation of the image of the environment and alter its appearance. The possibility is also considered that these alterations might make the environment hostile, might at times evoke the sensation of being trapped by a predator, and might be the cause of the anxiety that accompanies them. According to some authors, they might also induce delusional ideas, in an attempt to restore meaning in a world that has become chaotic and frightening.
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Simner J, Ipser A, Smees R, Alvarez J. Does synaesthesia age? Changes in the quality and consistency of synaesthetic associations. Neuropsychologia 2017; 106:407-416. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Silverstein SM. Visual Perception Disturbances in Schizophrenia: A Unified Model. NEBRASKA SYMPOSIUM ON MOTIVATION. NEBRASKA SYMPOSIUM ON MOTIVATION 2016; 63:77-132. [PMID: 27627825 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30596-7_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Retinal dysfunction of contrast processing in major depression also apparent in cortical activity. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2015; 265:343-50. [PMID: 25567477 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-014-0573-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Depressive disorder is often associated with the subjective experience of altered visual perception. Recent research has produced growing evidence for involvement of the visual system in the pathophysiology of depressive disorder. Using the pattern electroretinogram (PERG), we found reduced retinal contrast response in patients with major depression. Based on this observation, the question arises whether this change has a cortical correlate. To evaluate this, we analyzed the visual evoked potential (VEP) of the occipital cortex in 40 patients with depressive disorder and 28 healthy controls. As visual stimuli, checkerboard stimuli of 0.51° check size, 12.5 reversals per second and a contrast of 3-80% was used. In addition to the PERG, we recorded the VEP with an Oz versus FPz derivation. The amplitude versus contrast transfer function was compared across the two groups and correlated with the severity of depression, as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. Patients with major depression displayed significantly reduced VEP amplitudes at all contrast levels compared to control subjects (p = 0.029). The VEP amplitude correlated with psychometric measures for severity of depression. The degree of depression reduced the contrast transfer function in the VEP to a lesser extent than in the PERG: While the PERG is reduced to ≈50%, the VEP is reduced to 75%. Our results suggest that depression affects the cortical response in major depression, but less so than the retinal responses. Modified contrast adaptation in the lateral geniculate nucleus or cortex possibly moderates the increased losses in the retina.
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27
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Raynaud A, Meunier N, Acquistapace A, Bombail V. Chronic variable stress exposure in male Wistar rats affects the first step of olfactory detection. Behav Brain Res 2015; 291:36-45. [PMID: 26003942 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
For most animal species, olfaction plays a paramount role in their perception of the environment. Odours are initially detected in neurons located in the olfactory mucosa. This tissue is regulated by several physiological signals and can be altered in pathology. A number of clinical studies suggest an association between depressive disorders and olfactory sensory loss. In rodents, depressive-like states can be observed in models of chronic stress. We tested the hypothesis that olfactory function might be altered in a rat model of depression, induced by chronic variable stress (CVS). While CVS rats exhibited several symptoms consistent with chronic stress exposure and depressive-like states (increased sucrose intake in sucrose preference test, increased immobility in forced swim test, hyperlocomotion), their odorant responses recorded at the olfactory mucosa level by electro-olfactogram were decreased. In addition we observed increased apoptosis markers in the olfactory mucosa using Western Blot. Our data are consistent with reduced olfactory capacities in a laboratory rat model of chronic stress and depression, in agreement with human clinical data; this warrants further mechanistic studies. Furthermore, this works raises the possibility that altered olfactory function might be a confounding factor in the behavioural testing of chronically stressed or depressed rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Raynaud
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UR 1197 NeuroBiologie de l'Olfaction, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Nicolas Meunier
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UR 1197 NeuroBiologie de l'Olfaction, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France; Université de Versailles St-Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France
| | - Adrien Acquistapace
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UR 1197 NeuroBiologie de l'Olfaction, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Vincent Bombail
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), UR 1197 NeuroBiologie de l'Olfaction, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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Clark CM, Chiu CG, Diaz RL, Goghari VM. Intact anger recognition in depression despite aberrant visual facial information usage. J Affect Disord 2014; 165:196-202. [PMID: 24882200 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.04.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous literature has indicated abnormalities in facial emotion recognition abilities, as well as deficits in basic visual processes in major depression. However, the literature is unclear on a number of important factors including whether or not these abnormalities represent deficient or enhanced emotion recognition abilities compared to control populations, and the degree to which basic visual deficits might impact this process. METHODS The present study investigated emotion recognition abilities for angry versus neutral facial expressions in a sample of undergraduate students with Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores indicative of moderate depression (i.e., ≥20), compared to matched low-BDI-II score (i.e., ≤2) controls via the Bubbles Facial Emotion Perception Task. RESULTS Results indicated unimpaired behavioural performance in discriminating angry from neutral expressions in the high depressive symptoms group relative to the minimal depressive symptoms group, despite evidence of an abnormal pattern of visual facial information usage. LIMITATIONS The generalizability of the current findings is limited by the highly structured nature of the facial emotion recognition task used, as well as the use of an analog sample undergraduates scoring high in self-rated symptoms of depression rather than a clinical sample. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that basic visual processes are involved in emotion recognition abnormalities in depression, demonstrating consistency with the emotion recognition literature in other psychopathologies (e.g., schizophrenia, autism, social anxiety). Future research should seek to replicate these findings in clinical populations with major depression, and assess the association between aberrant face gaze behaviours and symptom severity and social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron M Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4
| | - Carina G Chiu
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4
| | - Ruth L Diaz
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4
| | - Vina M Goghari
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4.
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O'Bryan RA, Brenner CA, Hetrick WP, O'Donnell BF. Disturbances of visual motion perception in bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2014; 16:354-65. [PMID: 24382259 PMCID: PMC4138967 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES While cognitive deficits have been well documented in patients with bipolar disorder, visual perception has been less well characterized. Such deficits appear in schizophrenia, which shares genetic risk factors with bipolar disorder, and may contribute to disturbances in visual cognition and learning. METHODS The present study investigated visual perception in bipolar disorder using psychophysical tests of contrast sensitivity, dot motion discrimination, and form discrimination. The relationship of these measures to mood state, medication status, and cognitive function was investigated. Sixty-one patients with type I bipolar disorder and 67 comparison subjects were tested. RESULTS Results indicated a deficit in dot motion trajectory discrimination in both euthymic and ill individuals with bipolar disorder, as well as a global deficit in moving grating contrast sensitivity. Ill individuals with bipolar disorder were impaired in psychomotor processing, but this finding was not related to visual processing performance. CONCLUSIONS These findings could be due to disturbances in specific visual pathways involved in the processing of motion properties, or to a more general deficit which impairs processing of temporally modulated stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A O'Bryan
- Indiana University Health, Southern Indiana Physicians, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Vigil JM, Strenth C. No pain, no social gains: A social-signaling perspective of human pain behaviors. World J Anesthesiol 2014; 3:18-30. [DOI: 10.5313/wja.v3.i1.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2013] [Revised: 09/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/03/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this review article, we describe a social-signaling perspective of human pain and pain empathizing behaviors which is based on the premise that pain percepts evolved to serve both intrapersonal as well as interpersonal, communicative functions. This perspective offers a generative framework for understanding the natural origin and proximate expression of felt pain and pain empathizing behaviors. The basic thesis is that humans evolved sensory-behavioral heuristics for perceiving and inhibiting exogenous and endogenous pain sensations as part of more general expressive styles characterized by the demonstration of vulnerability gestures (i.e., trustworthiness cues) versus empowerment gestures (i.e., capacity cues), and these styles ultimately facilitate broader self-protection and social novelty-seeking life-history behavior strategies, respectively. We review the extant literature on how social contextual factors (e.g., audience characteristics) and how structural and functional components of individual’s social network appear to influence the expression of pain behaviors in ways that support basic predictions from the social-signaling perspective. We also show how the perspective can be used to interpret conventional findings of sex differences in pain percepts and pain empathizing behaviors and for predicting how the situational context and individual’s peer networks modulate these differences in vitro and in vitro. We conclude the article by describing how pain researchers may better understand how varying levels and divergent directions of changes in affect tend to co-occur with systematic changes in internal vs external pain sensitivities, and thus why, from an evolutionary perspective, pain may occur in the presence and absence of physical tissue damage.
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Fornaro M, Bandini F, Cestari L, Cordano C, Ogliastro C, Albano C, De Berardis D, Martino M, Escelsior A, Rocchi G, Fornaro P, De Pasquale C. Electroretinographic modifications induced by agomelatine: a novel avenue to the understanding of the claimed antidepressant effect of the drug? Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2014; 10:907-14. [PMID: 24899809 PMCID: PMC4038423 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s63459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Agomelatine, the first melatonergic antidepressant, has been postulated to enhance the dopaminergic activity at the central nervous system by 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor type 2C (5-HT2C) antagonism, yet the impact of melatonergic agonism on this pathway is unclear. Previous studies employing simplified, yet reliable, proxy (retinal) measures of the central nervous system dopaminergic activity, namely the standard electroretinogram (ERG) technique, suggested a reduction of the dopaminergic activity of the main ERG parameter, the b-wave, by pure melatonin, notably a hormone devoid of any antidepressant activity. Therefore, the antidepressant effects of the melatonergic antidepressant drug agomelatine should be reflected by a differential b-wave trend at ERG versus the effect exerted by pure melatonin, which was eventually found to be due to a contrasting effect on central dopaminergic transmission between the two drugs. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS The aim of the present preliminary ERG study carried out on healthy volunteers (n=23) receiving agomelatine was to explore the impact of this antidepressant drug on b-wave amplitude and latency of cones in daylight conditions using standard ERG. RESULTS As postulated, agomelatine induced an enhancement of retinal dopaminergic activity, in contrast to what has been previously documented for melatonin. CONCLUSION Given the limits of this explorative study, especially the lack of a control group and that of a luminance response function to measure retinal sensitivity, further studies in clinical samples are recommended to allow more tenable conclusions about the potential role of ERG in discriminating between 5-HT antagonism and melatonergic (MT) agonism in relationship to the claimed antidepressant effect of agomelatine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Fornaro
- Department of Educative Science, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Fabio Bandini
- Department of Neurology, San Paolo Hospital, Savona, Italy
| | - Luca Cestari
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Christian Cordano
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Neurology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Carla Ogliastro
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Neurology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Claudio Albano
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Neurology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Domenico De Berardis
- National Health Service, Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital G. Mazzini, ASL 4, Teramo, Italy
| | - Matteo Martino
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Andrea Escelsior
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulio Rocchi
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Pantaleo Fornaro
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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Fitzgerald PJ. Gray colored glasses: is major depression partially a sensory perceptual disorder? J Affect Disord 2013; 151:418-422. [PMID: 23906865 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.06.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2013] [Revised: 06/15/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depression is a neuropsychiatric disorder that can involve profound dysregulation of mood. While depression is associated with additional abnormalities besides reduced mood, such as cognitive dysfunction, it is not well established that sensory perception is also altered in this disorder (aside from in psychotic depression). Recent studies have shown that visual processing, in as early a stage as the retina, is impaired in depression. This paper examines the hypothesis that major depression can involve alterations in sensory perception. METHODS A Pubmed literature search investigated several lines of evidence: innervation of sensory cortex by serotonin and norepinephrine; antidepressant drugs and depression itself affecting processing of facial expressions of emotion; electroencephalography (EEG) studies of depressed persons and antidepressant drugs; involvement of the serotonergic 5HT2A receptor in both depression and hallucinogenic drug action; psychotic depression involving sensory distortions; dopamine possibly playing a role in depression; and the antidepressant effect of blocking the NMDA receptor with ketamine. RESULTS Data from each of these lines of evidence support the hypothesis that major depression can involve sensory perceptual alterations. CONCLUSIONS Loss of interest in one's daily activities and inability to experience pleasure, also known as anhedonia, in major depression may in part be mediated by sensory abnormalities, whereby normal sensory perceptions are no longer present to activate reward circuitry. LIMITATIONS The data supporting the hypothesis tend to be associative, so further confirmation of the hypothesis awaits additional controlled experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychology, Room 3200 ILSB, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4235, USA.
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Carrière I, Delcourt C, Daien V, Pérès K, Féart C, Berr C, Ancelin ML, Ritchie K. A prospective study of the bi-directional association between vision loss and depression in the elderly. J Affect Disord 2013; 151:164-70. [PMID: 23787409 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Revised: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing visual impairment (VI) with age has been associated with mental health problems but the question of temporal direction and reverse causality has not been addressed previously. Our objective was to prospectively examine the bi-directional association of VI and visual function (VF) loss with depressive symptoms in the elderly. METHODS The cohort comprised 4216 participants (40.2% men) aged 65 and over with 10 years of follow-up. Near VI was defined using measured usual-corrected binocular acuity while distance VF was self-declared. Participants having a major depressive episode or a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score ≥ 16 were classified as having depressive symptomatology. Longitudinal analyses used mixed logistic models for repeated evaluations. RESULTS After adjustment for demographic factors, participants with moderate to severe near VI at baseline had increased odds of developing depressive symptomatology (Odds Ratio [OR]=1.60; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=1.08-2.38), but after multiple adjustments the association fell below the significance level. A 2-year decrease in distance VF was associated with increased odds of depressive symptomatology during follow-up after multiple adjustments (OR=3.03; 95% CI=1.75-5.23). Baseline depressive symptomatology was not associated with incident near VI but was associated with VF loss after multivariate adjustment (OR=1.62; 95% CI=1.15-2.28). LIMITATIONS The causes of VI have not been recorded. CONCLUSIONS The relation of vision loss to onset of depressive symptomatology differs according to near VI or distance VF and declines across time. A reverse strong association was found between baseline depression and incident loss of distance VF suggesting a downward spiral of events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Carrière
- Inserm, U1061, Montpellier F-34093, France; University Montpellier I, Montpellier F-34000, France.
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Hyett M, Parker G. Loss of light in the eyes: A window to melancholia. Med Hypotheses 2013; 81:186-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Visual contrast sensitivity in major depressive disorder. J Psychosom Res 2013; 75:83-6. [PMID: 23751244 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2012] [Revised: 03/12/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Through the eyes of those depressed, the world may appear dull and gray. Visual contrast sensitivity has recently been reported to be lower in depressed patients compared to healthy controls. We aimed to examine the consistency of this finding and to explore the underlying retinal electrophysiology. METHODS Twenty subjects with major depressive disorder and 20 matched healthy controls were studied. Pattern electroretinogram (PERG) and subjective visual contrast test were used to assess visual contrast sensitivity. Full-field electroretinography (ffERG) was additionally used to assess retinal neurophysiology. Depression was diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and depression severity was measured using standard psychometric scales. RESULTS Visual contrast sensitivity was significantly lower in depressed patients compared to controls based on the Landolt C visual contrast test, but no difference was found between groups using PERG and ffERG. Greater severity of depressive symptoms correlated (r=0.49, p=0.001) with poorer visual contrast sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Depressed subjects had reduced visual contrast discrimination performance, but this finding could not be consistently determined using PERG. The neurobiological link between major depressive disorder and visual contrast sensitivity warrants further investigation.
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Bubl E, Dörr M, Philipsen A, Ebert D, Bach M, van Elst LT. Retinal contrast transfer functions in adults with and without ADHD. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61728. [PMID: 23658697 PMCID: PMC3642133 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In previous studies, we found a strong reduction in contrast perception and retinal contrast gain in patients with major depression, which normalized after remission of depression. We also identified a possible role of the dopaminergic system in this effect, because visual contrast perception depends on dopaminergic neurotransmission. Dopamine is also known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, in order to explore the specificity of retinal contrast gain as a marker of depression in comparison with other psychiatric diseases, we recorded the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) in patients with ADHD. Twenty patients diagnosed with ADHD and 20 matched healthy subjects were studied. Visual pattern electroretinograms were recorded from both eyes. The contrast gain of the patients with attention deficit disorder (ADD) did not differ from the control group, nor did the contrast gain of any ADHD subgroup (predominantly inattentive or combined patients). In the healthy subjects, a significant correlation between depression score and contrast gain was found. As the contrast gain in an earlier study clearly separated the patients with depression from the controls, we assume that retinal contrast gain might be a specific marker in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Bubl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Dörr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra Philipsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bach
- University Eye Hospital, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Burón E, Bulbena A. Olfaction in affective and anxiety disorders: a review of the literature. Psychopathology 2013; 46:63-74. [PMID: 22889716 DOI: 10.1159/000338717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 04/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Olfaction and its relation to mental health is an area of growing interest. Brain areas linked to olfaction partially overlap with brain areas involved in psychiatric disorders; consequently, the study of olfactory function allows us to explore the integrity of these brain areas with a non-invasive and effective method. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to review olfactory function in affective and anxiety disorders. METHODS For this purpose, an extensive literature review of English-language studies on olfactory function in patients with the aforementioned pathologies was performed using several online databases. A manual search of relevant journals and books as well as reference lists from selected papers was also performed. RESULTS The available data show that depressed patients are usually characterised by preserved olfactory function, except for detection threshold, where contrasting reports have been found. Bipolar disorder has been studied to a lesser extent, but the findings have shown a lack of impairment in most cases. Research on seasonal affective disorders is scant, and future studies are needed to make conclusions. Anxiety disorders have been scarcely approached, but the results note identification deficits in obsessive-compulsive and posttraumatic stress disorders. CONCLUSIONS Olfactory assessment appears to be a complementary, valuable research tool in the study of psychiatric disorders. However, further investigation is needed to improve our understanding of olfactory function in these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Burón
- Parc de Salut Mar, Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Barcelona, Spain.
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Thomas G, Burton NC, Mueller C, Page E, Vesper S. Comparison of work-related symptoms and visual contrast sensitivity between employees at a severely water-damaged school and a school without significant water damage. Am J Ind Med 2012; 55:844-54. [PMID: 22566108 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a health hazard evaluation (HHE) of a water-damaged school in New Orleans (NO), Louisiana. Our aim in this evaluation was to document employee health effects related to exposure to the water-damaged school, and to determine if VCS testing could serve as a biomarker of effect for occupants who experienced adverse health effects in a water-damaged building. METHODS NIOSH physicians and staff administered a work history and medical questionnaire, conducted visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) testing, and collected sticky-tape, air, and dust samples at the school. Counting, culturing, and/or a DNA-based technology, called mold-specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR), were also used to quantify the molds. A similar health and environmental evaluation was performed at a comparable school in Cincinnati, Ohio which was not water-damaged. RESULTS Extensive mold contamination was documented in the water-damaged school and employees (n = 95) had higher prevalences of work-related rashes and nasal, lower respiratory, and constitutional symptoms than those at the comparison school (n = 110). VCS values across all spatial frequencies were lower among employees at the water-damaged school. CONCLUSIONS Employees exposed to an extensively water-damaged environment reported adverse health effects, including rashes and nasal, lower respiratory, and constitutional symptoms. VCS values were lower in the employees at the water-damaged school, but we do not recommend using it in evaluation of people exposed to mold. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:844-854, 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Thomas
- Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA
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Bubl E, Ebert D, Kern E, van Elst LT, Bach M. Effect of antidepressive therapy on retinal contrast processing in depressive disorder. Br J Psychiatry 2012; 201:151-8. [PMID: 22700080 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.111.100560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, we reported a reduced retinal contrast gain in unmedicated and medicated patients with major depression. AIMS To analyse whether the contrast gain normalises after successful antidepressive therapy by recording the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) in healthy controls and patients with depression before and after antidepressive therapy. METHOD Fourteen patients diagnosed with major depression were repeatedly scanned and the results compared with that from 40 matched controls. RESULTS The retinal contrast gain was lower at baseline in patients with depression, was normalised with remission and correlated with the severity of depression. Patients who did not achieve remission retained significantly lower contrast gain at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The study provides evidence for a state-dependent modulation of retinal contrast gain in patients with major depression. Reduced contrast gain normalised after therapy. A PERG-based contrast gain could serve as a state marker of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Bubl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Hauptstrasse 5, Freiburg, Germany
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Nogueira RMTBL, Santos NAD. Pacientes com depressão maior têm menor sensibilidade a contraste visual que indivíduos saudáveis. ESTUDOS DE PSICOLOGIA (NATAL) 2012. [DOI: 10.1590/s1413-294x2012000100014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
O objetivo foi medir a sensibilidade ao contraste, SC, visual de grades senoidais circulares concêntricas com frequências espaciais de 0,25; 4 e 8 cpg, ciclos por grau de ângulo visual, em adultos saudáveis e com depressão maior. Foram estimadas a SC de 20 participantes, 10 saudáveis e 10 participantes com depressão maior, utilizando o método psicofísico da escolha forçada e luminância média de 0,7 cd/m². Todos os participantes apresentavam acuidade visual normal ou corrigida e estavam livres de doenças identificáveis. Os resultados mostraram que a SC visual máxima ocorreu na faixa de 0,25 cpg para os dois grupos. Os resultados demonstraram ainda que a SC visual dos participantes com depressão maior foi mais baixa do que a dos participantes saudáveis (p < 0,05), pois os participantes com transtorno precisaram de mais contraste para detectar as frequências espaciais testadas. Estes resultados sugerem alterações na percepção visual relacionadas à depressão maior.
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Fornaro M, Bandini F, Ogliastro C, Cordano C, Martino M, Cestari L, Escelsior A, Rocchi G, Colicchio S, Perugi G. Electroretinographic assessment in major depressed patients receiving duloxetine: might differences between responders and non-responders indicate a differential biological background? J Affect Disord 2011; 135:154-9. [PMID: 21820182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2011] [Revised: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 07/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite intense research efforts, still too little is known about the biological determinants of depression, thus soliciting diverse study approaches. Among others, the electroretinography (ERG) has been proposed even as a putative proxy (retinal) measurement of central dopaminergic activity for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) both in drug-naïve patients and subjects receiving antidepressant treatments. Nonetheless, current evidences are merely preliminary, essentially considering just older classes of antidepressants, thus requiring confirmation studies even with newer agents as duloxetine. METHOD Twenty MDD subjects and 20 matched controls received duloxetine 60 mg/day for 12 weeks, being monitored both by standard ERG recording and by administration of the Hamilton scales for Depression and Anxiety and the Young Mania Rating Scale at baseline and week 12 (end of the study). RESULTS ERG mean rod b-wave amplitude significantly reduced from baseline to week 12 in those depressed subjects achieving final response (p=.024), decreasing from the highest rank values to the ones, substantially unmodified, seen among non-responders and controls. LIMITATIONS Small sample size and lack of multiple assessments. CONCLUSIONS At least some MDD patients responding to duloxetine might exhibit a peculiar ERG pattern, hypothetically indicating a specific biological background. If confirmed by larger-sampled studies, these results might shed further light in the understanding of the biological determinants of different subtypes of depression, ideally showing alternative patterns of response upon different treatment interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Fornaro
- Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics - Section of Psychiatry, University of Genova, Italy.
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Abstract
There is increasing evidence that the brain relies on a set of canonical neural computations, repeating them across brain regions and modalities to apply similar operations to different problems. A promising candidate for such a computation is normalization, in which the responses of neurons are divided by a common factor that typically includes the summed activity of a pool of neurons. Normalization was developed to explain responses in the primary visual cortex and is now thought to operate throughout the visual system, and in many other sensory modalities and brain regions. Normalization may underlie operations such as the representation of odours, the modulatory effects of visual attention, the encoding of value and the integration of multisensory information. Its presence in such a diversity of neural systems in multiple species, from invertebrates to mammals, suggests that it serves as a canonical neural computation.
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Bubl E, Kern E, Ebert D, Bach M, Tebartz van Elst L. Seeing gray when feeling blue? Depression can be measured in the eye of the diseased. Biol Psychiatry 2010; 68:205-8. [PMID: 20359698 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2009] [Revised: 01/28/2010] [Accepted: 02/01/2010] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Everyday language relates depressed mood to visual phenomena. Previous studies point to a reduced sensitivity of subjective contrast perception in depressed patients. One way to assess visual contrast perception in an objective way at the level of the retina is to measure the pattern electroretinogram (PERG). To find an objective correlate of reduced contrast perception, we measured the PERG in healthy control subjects and unmedicated and medicated patients with depression. METHODS Forty patients with a diagnosis of major depression (20 with and 20 without medication) and 40 matched healthy subjects were studied. Visual PERGs were recorded from both eyes. RESULTS Unmedicated and medicated depressed patients displayed dramatically lower retinal contrast gain. We found a strong and significant correlation between contrast gain and severity of depression. This marker distinguishes most patients on a single-case basis from control subjects. A receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a specificity of 92.5% and a sensitivity of 77.5% for classifying the participants correctly. CONCLUSIONS Because PERG recording does not depend on subjective ratings, this marker may be an objective correlate of depression in human beings. If replicated, PERG may be helpful in further animal and human research in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Bubl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Abstract
AbstractThe recent development of the analytical techniques offers the unprecedented possibility to study simultaneously concentration of dozens of elements in the same biological matrix sample of 0.5–1.0 g (multielement profiles). The first part of this essay entitled “Think globally… An outline of trace elements in health and disease” aims to introduce the reader to the fascinating field of elements, there importance to our nutrition, their essentiality, deficiency, toxicity and bioavailability to the body and their overall role in health and disease, including the genetic metabolic impairments. In the second part of the essay entitled “… and act locally. The multielement profile of depression” we aimed to show the potential of such a hair multielement profile analysis for the study of human depression in a randomized, double blind, prospective, observational, cross-sectional, clinical, epidemiological, and analytical study. The preliminary results of this ongoing study lead us to put forward the hypothesis that the metabolic origin of depression may be due to some “energostat” failure, probably located in the thalamus, and activated by several essential element deficiencies.
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