1
|
González-Rodríguez A, García-Pérez Á, Godoy-Giménez M, Sayans-Jiménez P, Cañadas F, Estévez AF. The role of the differential outcomes procedure and schizotypy in the recognition of dynamic facial expressions of emotions. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2322. [PMID: 38282111 PMCID: PMC10822869 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52893-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Emotional facial expression recognition is a key ability for adequate social functioning. The current study aims to test if the differential outcomes procedure (DOP) may improve the recognition of dynamic facial expressions of emotions and to further explore whether schizotypal personality traits may have any effect on performance. 183 undergraduate students completed a task where a face morphed from a neutral expression to one of the six basic emotions at full intensity over 10 s. Participants had to press spacebar as soon as they identified the emotion and choose which had appeared. In the first block, participants received no outcomes. In the second block, a group received specific outcomes associated to each emotion (DOP group), while another group received non-differential outcomes after correctly responding (NOP group). Employing generalized linear models (GLMs) and Bayesian inference we estimated different parameters to answer our research goals. Schizotypal personality traits did not seem to affect dynamic emotional facial expression recognition. Participants of the DOP group were less likely to respond incorrectly to faces showing Fear and Surprise at fewer intensity levels. This may suggest that the DOP could lead to better identification of the main features that differentiate each facial expression of emotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio González-Rodríguez
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, CP: 04120, Almería, Spain
- CEINSA Health Research Centre, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Ángel García-Pérez
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, CP: 04120, Almería, Spain
- CIBIS Research Centre, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Marta Godoy-Giménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, CP: 04120, Almería, Spain
- CEINSA Health Research Centre, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Pablo Sayans-Jiménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, CP: 04120, Almería, Spain
- CEINSA Health Research Centre, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Fernando Cañadas
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, CP: 04120, Almería, Spain
- CIBIS Research Centre, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Angeles F Estévez
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, CP: 04120, Almería, Spain.
- CIBIS Research Centre, University of Almería, Almería, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zheng Y, Liu C, Lai NYG, Wang Q, Xia Q, Sun X, Zhang S. Current development of biosensing technologies towards diagnosis of mental diseases. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1190211. [PMID: 37456720 PMCID: PMC10342212 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1190211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The biosensor is an instrument that converts the concentration of biomarkers into electrical signals for detection. Biosensing technology is non-invasive, lightweight, automated, and biocompatible in nature. These features have significantly advanced medical diagnosis, particularly in the diagnosis of mental disorder in recent years. The traditional method of diagnosing mental disorders is time-intensive, expensive, and subject to individual interpretation. It involves a combination of the clinical experience by the psychiatrist and the physical symptoms and self-reported scales provided by the patient. Biosensors on the other hand can objectively and continually detect disease states by monitoring abnormal data in biomarkers. Hence, this paper reviews the application of biosensors in the detection of mental diseases, and the diagnostic methods are divided into five sub-themes of biosensors based on vision, EEG signal, EOG signal, and multi-signal. A prospective application in clinical diagnosis is also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Zheng
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
- Ningbo Research Center, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
- Robotics Institute, Ningbo University of Technology, Ningbo, China
| | - Chen Liu
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
- Ningbo Research Center, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
| | - Nai Yeen Gavin Lai
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
| | - Qingfeng Wang
- Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
| | - Qinghua Xia
- Ningbo Research Center, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
| | - Xu Sun
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
- Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
- Ningbo Research Center, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Nijman SA, Pijnenborg GHM, Vermeer RR, Zandee CER, Zandstra DC, van der Vorm D, de Wit-de Visser AC, Meins IA, Geraets CNW, Veling W. Dynamic Interactive Social Cognition Training in Virtual Reality (DiSCoVR) versus Virtual Reality Relaxation (VRelax) for People With a Psychotic Disorder: A Single-Blind Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:518-530. [PMID: 36413388 PMCID: PMC10016415 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Social cognition training (SCT), an intervention for social cognition and social functioning, might be improved by using virtual reality (VR), because VR may offer better opportunities to practice in a potentially more realistic environment. To date, no controlled studies have investigated VR-SCT. This study investigated a VR-SCT, "DiSCoVR". We hypothesized that DiSCoVR would improve social cognition and social functioning. STUDY DESIGN Participants were randomized to DiSCoVR (n = 41) or VR relaxation ('VRelax', n = 40), an active control condition, and completed 16 twice-weekly sessions. Three assessments (baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up) were performed by blinded assessors. The primary outcome was social cognition (emotion perception and theory of mind). Secondary outcomes included social functioning (measured with an interview and experience sampling), psychiatric symptoms, information processing, and self-esteem. Data were analyzed using mixed-models regression analysis. Treatment effects were evaluated by the time by condition interaction terms. STUDY RESULTS No significant time by condition interactions were found for any of the outcome variables, indicating an absence of treatment effects. Between-group effect sizes ranged from negligible to moderate (Cohen's d < |0.53|). Main effects of time were found for several outcomes. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that DiSCoVR was not effective, possibly because of inadequate simulation of emotional expressions in VR. This lack of efficacy may indicate that current SCT protocols are relatively unsuitable for improving social functioning. Previous studies showed small to moderate effects on higher order social cognition, but the SCT approach may need critical reevaluation, as it may not sufficiently lead to functional improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S A Nijman
- Department of Psychotic Disorders, GGZ Drenthe, Dennenweg 9, PO Box 30007, 9404 LA, Assen, The Netherlands.,University Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - G H M Pijnenborg
- Department of Psychotic Disorders, GGZ Drenthe, Dennenweg 9, PO Box 30007, 9404 LA, Assen, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - R R Vermeer
- GGZ Delfland, Sint Jorisweg 2, 2612 GA, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - C E R Zandee
- GGZ Delfland, Sint Jorisweg 2, 2612 GA, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - D C Zandstra
- Zeeuwse Gronden, Axelsestraat 8/A, 4537 AJ, Terneuzen, The Netherlands
| | - D van der Vorm
- GGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant, Hoofdlaan 8, PO Box 371, 4600AJ, Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands
| | - A C de Wit-de Visser
- GGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant, Hoofdlaan 8, PO Box 371, 4600AJ, Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands.,Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 125, PO Box 90153, 5000LE Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - I A Meins
- Department of Psychotic Disorders, GGZ Drenthe, Dennenweg 9, PO Box 30007, 9404 LA, Assen, The Netherlands.,University Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - C N W Geraets
- University Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - W Veling
- University Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Han L, Gan L. The Application of Artificial Neural Network Combined with Virtual Reality Technology in Environment Art Design. COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 2022:7562167. [PMID: 35607468 PMCID: PMC9124091 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7562167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Virtual reality is a computer technology that produces a simulated environment. It is completely immersive and gives users the viewpoint that they are somewhere else. In recent times, it has become a highly interactive and visualization tool that has gained interest among educators and scholars. Art learning is a teaching-learning approach that is dependent on learning "through the arts" and "with the arts;" it can be a procedure in which art develops the medium of teaching-learning and an important model in some subjects of the curriculum. In this work, we develop a grey wolf optimization with the residual network form of virtual reality application for environmental art learning (GWORN-EAL) technique. It aims to provide metacognitive actions to improve environmental art learning for young children or adults. The GWORN-EAL technique is mainly based on the stimulation of particular features of the target painting over a default image. The color palette of the recognized image of the Fauve painter was mapped to the target image using the Fauve vision of the painter and represented by vivid colors. For optimal hyperparameter tuning of the ResNet model, the GWO algorithm is employed. The experimental results indicated that the GWORN-EAL technique has accomplished effectual outcomes in several aspects. A brief experimental study highlighted the improvement of the GWORN-EAL technique compared to existing models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Han
- School of Art and Design, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang 422000, Hunan, China
| | - Li Gan
- School of Design, NingboTech University, Ningbo 315100, Zhejiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lee SC, Lin GH, Shih CL, Chen KW, Liu CC, Kuo CJ, Hsieh CL. Error patterns of facial emotion recognition in patients with schizophrenia. J Affect Disord 2022; 300:441-448. [PMID: 34979185 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Error patterns of facial emotion recognition (FER) indicate how individuals misinterpret others' facial expressions, which helps clinicians to manage related deficits. However, previous investigations are limited and may have been biased due to methodological issues (e.g., no consideration of response bias). This study aimed to propose a detectability index (d') for adjusting response bias and examine the error patterns of FER in patients with schizophrenia. Responses to 168 photos showing seven basic emotions, obtained from 351 patients with schizophrenia and 101 healthy adults, were extracted from a previous study. The differences in the d's between the two groups (Δd') were calculated to examine the error patterns of FER among the seven emotions. The findings were generally overlapped with those identified by the traditional confusion matrix. Four error patterns were found. First, the patients were insensitive to some negative emotions (i.e., sadness [Δd' = 0.83] and fear [Δd' = 0.72]). Second, they misrecognized happy faces as showing negative emotions (e.g., disgust [Δd' = 0.43] and sadness [Δd' = 0.37]). Third, they misinterpreted surprised faces as all the other emotions (Δd' = 0.41-0.87), except neutral. Fourth, they confused some negative emotions (e.g., misrecognizing fear as anger [Δd' = 0.87]). Our findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia show four error patterns of FER compared to healthy adults. Accordingly, interventions could be selected to improve their sensitivity to faces with negative emotions, differentiation of faces among positive and negative emotions, understanding of surprised faces, and discrimination of faces with negative emotions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Chieh Lee
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Long-Term Care, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Gong-Hong Lin
- Master Program in Long-term Care, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Lin Shih
- Institute of Education & Center for Teacher Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Wei Chen
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Chung Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chian-Jue Kuo
- Songde Branch (Taipei City Psychiatric Center), Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Psychiatric Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Lin Hsieh
- School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Virtual reality facial emotion recognition in social environments: An eye-tracking study. Internet Interv 2021; 25:100432. [PMID: 34401391 PMCID: PMC8350588 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) enables the administration of realistic and dynamic stimuli within a social context for the assessment and training of emotion recognition. We tested a novel VR emotion recognition task by comparing emotion recognition across a VR, video and photo task, investigating covariates of recognition and exploring visual attention in VR. METHODS Healthy individuals (n = 100) completed three emotion recognition tasks; a photo, video and VR task. During the VR task, emotions of virtual characters (avatars) in a VR street environment were rated, and eye-tracking was recorded in VR. RESULTS Recognition accuracy in VR (overall 75%) was comparable to the photo and video task. However, there were some differences; disgust and happiness had lower accuracy rates in VR, and better accuracy was achieved for surprise and anger in VR compared to the video task. Participants spent more time identifying disgust, fear and sadness than surprise and happiness. In general, attention was directed longer to the eye and nose areas than the mouth. DISCUSSION Immersive VR tasks can be used for training and assessment of emotion recognition. VR enables easily controllable avatars within environments relevant for daily life. Validated emotional expressions and tasks will be of relevance for clinical applications.
Collapse
|
7
|
Kegel LC, Brugger P, Frühholz S, Grunwald T, Hilfiker P, Kohnen O, Loertscher ML, Mersch D, Rey A, Sollfrank T, Steiger BK, Sternagel J, Weber M, Jokeit H. Dynamic human and avatar facial expressions elicit differential brain responses. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:303-317. [PMID: 32232359 PMCID: PMC7235958 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Computer-generated characters, so-called avatars, are widely used in advertising, entertainment, human–computer interaction or as research tools to investigate human emotion perception. However, brain responses to avatar and human faces have scarcely been studied to date. As such, it remains unclear whether dynamic facial expressions of avatars evoke different brain responses than dynamic facial expressions of humans. In this study, we designed anthropomorphic avatars animated with motion tracking and tested whether the human brain processes fearful and neutral expressions in human and avatar faces differently. Our fMRI results showed that fearful human expressions evoked stronger responses than fearful avatar expressions in the ventral anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, the anterior insula, the anterior and posterior superior temporal sulcus, and the inferior frontal gyrus. Fearful expressions in human and avatar faces evoked similar responses in the amygdala. We did not find different responses to neutral human and avatar expressions. Our results highlight differences, but also similarities in the processing of fearful human expressions and fearful avatar expressions even if they are designed to be highly anthropomorphic and animated with motion tracking. This has important consequences for research using dynamic avatars, especially when processes are investigated that involve cortical and subcortical regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena C Kegel
- Swiss Epilepsy Center, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Brugger
- Neuropsychology Unit, Valens Rehabilitation Centre, Valens, Switzerland.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sascha Frühholz
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Oona Kohnen
- Swiss Epilepsy Center, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Miriam L Loertscher
- Institute for the Performing Arts and Film, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dieter Mersch
- Institute for Critical Theory, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anton Rey
- Institute for the Performing Arts and Film, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Joerg Sternagel
- Institute for Critical Theory, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michel Weber
- Institute for the Performing Arts and Film, Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hennric Jokeit
- Swiss Epilepsy Center, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Riches S, Pisani S, Bird L, Rus-Calafell M, Garety P, Valmaggia L. Virtual reality-based assessment and treatment of social functioning impairments in psychosis: a systematic review. Int Rev Psychiatry 2021; 33:337-362. [PMID: 34121587 DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2021.1918648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
People with psychosis can experience social functioning impairments. Virtual reality (VR) has been used to assess and treat these difficulties. This systematic review (Prospero CRD42015026288) provides an evaluation of these VR applications. PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus were searched until May 2020. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool was used to assess studies. Database searching identified 3810 titles. Fifty-eight studies (published 2005-2020; N = 2,853), comprising twenty-six head-mounted display studies (20 assessment, 6 treatment) and thirty-two immersive 2D screen studies (23 assessment, 9 treatment), were included. There were forty-eight observational studies and ten randomised controlled trials, with 1570 participants (of which, 185 were at ultra-high risk of psychosis) in VR test groups. Nearly half the studies were published since 2016. Assessments targeted cognitive and behavioural indicators of social functioning, e.g. paranoia, eye gaze, or interpersonal distance. Treatments promoted cognitive-behavioural social skills or job interview training. Studies indicate feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of VR for social functioning impairments in psychosis. Limitations of studies include the narrow scope of social functioning, small sample sizes, and limited randomised controlled trials and standardised interventions. Findings suggest VR has potential to be integrated with existing psychological approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Riches
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, UK
| | - Sara Pisani
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Leanne Bird
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Mar Rus-Calafell
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Philippa Garety
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, UK
| | - Lucia Valmaggia
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dickhoff J, Opmeer EM, Heering HD, Bruggeman R, van Amelsvoort T, Bartels-Velthuis AA, Cahn W, de Haan L, Schirmbeck F, Simons CJP, van Os J, Aleman A, van Tol MJ. Relationship between social cognition, general cognition, and risk for suicide in individuals with a psychotic disorder. Schizophr Res 2021; 231:227-236. [PMID: 34000502 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cognitive alterations putatively contribute to the risk for suicide in individuals with psychosis. Yet, a comprehensive assessment of social- and general-cognitive abilities in a large sample is lacking. METHODS Seven-hundred-fifteen individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder performed tasks of facial emotion recognition, Theory of Mind, and general cognitive functioning (sustained attention, set-shifting, IQ-tests and verbal learning) as part of the Genetic-Risk-and-Outcome-of-Psychosis (GROUP) study. Presence of past suicide attempt/s and/or current suicidal ideation was reported by 261 individuals and 454 individuals reported no suicide attempt or ideation. We used general linear models to investigate group differences in task performance. All analysis were controlled for age, sex, education, and psychotic symptom severity. RESULTS Individuals with suicide attempt and/or ideation showed better performance on the facial emotion recognition task and lower performance on tasks of sustained attention and verbal learning, compared to individuals without suicide attempt and/or ideation, without a clear effect of attempt or ideation. Theory of Mind performance was also better for individuals with suicide attempt and/or ideation, with largest differences between individuals who reported both attempts and ideation compared to individuals without suicide attempt and/or ideation. No effect of suicide attempt and/or ideation was found on misperception of facial emotions, IQ and set-shifting. Overall, effect sizes were small. CONCLUSION Higher sensitivity to social-emotional cues together with weakened attentional control and learning capacity was observed in individuals with psychosis and suicide attempt and/or ideation. This may suggest that insufficient capacity for regulating perceived social stress contributes to suicidal thoughts and behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justine Dickhoff
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713AV Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Esther Marije Opmeer
- Applied University Windesheim, Department of Health and Welfare, Campus 2, 8017CA Zwolle, the Netherlands
| | - Henriette Dorotheé Heering
- GGZ in Geest Specialized Mental Health Care, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Oldenaller 1, 1081HL Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Richard Bruggeman
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Rob Giel Research Center, Hanzeplein 1, 9713GZ Groningen, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, University Center for Psychiatry, Rob Giel Research Center, Groningen, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Therese van Amelsvoort
- Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Agna A Bartels-Velthuis
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, University Center for Psychiatry, Rob Giel Research Center, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wiepke Cahn
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Altrecht, General Mental Health Care, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lieuwe de Haan
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Arkin, Institute for Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Frederike Schirmbeck
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Arkin, Institute for Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Claudia J P Simons
- Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht, the Netherlands; GGzE Institute for Mental Health Care, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Jim van Os
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; King's College London, King's Health Partners, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom
| | - André Aleman
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713AV Groningen, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712TS Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marie-José van Tol
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713AV Groningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Facial Affect Recognition by Patients with Schizophrenia Using Human Avatars. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10091904. [PMID: 33924939 PMCID: PMC8124197 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10091904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
People with schizophrenia have difficulty recognizing the emotions in the facial expressions of others, which affects their social interaction and functioning in the community. Static stimuli such as photographs have been used traditionally to examine deficiencies in the recognition of emotions in patients with schizophrenia, which has been criticized by some authors for lacking the dynamism that real facial stimuli have. With the aim of overcoming these drawbacks, in recent years, the creation and validation of virtual humans has been developed. This work presents the results of a study that evaluated facial recognition of emotions through a new set of dynamic virtual humans previously designed by the research team, in patients diagnosed of schizophrenia. The study included 56 stable patients, compared with 56 healthy controls. Our results showed that patients with schizophrenia present a deficit in facial affect recognition, compared to healthy controls (average hit rate 71.6% for patients vs 90.0% for controls). Facial expressions with greater dynamism (compared to less dynamic ones), as well as those presented from frontal view (compared to profile view) were better recognized in both groups. Regarding clinical and sociodemographic variables, the number of hospitalizations throughout life did not correlate with recognition rates. There was also no correlation between functioning or quality of life and recognition. A trend showed a reduction in the emotional recognition rate as a result of increases in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), being statistically significant for negative PANSS. Patients presented a learning effect during the progression of the task, slightly greater in comparison to the control group. This finding is relevant when designing training interventions for people with schizophrenia. Maintaining the attention of patients and getting them to improve in the proposed tasks is a challenge for today’s psychiatry.
Collapse
|
11
|
Huang B, Li S, Sun B, lyu H, Xu W, Jiao J, Pan F, Hu J, Chen J, Chen Y, Huang M, Xu Y. Verification of using virtual reality to evaluate deficiencies in cognitive function among patients with schizophrenia in the remission stage: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry 2021; 21:21. [PMID: 33422041 PMCID: PMC7796627 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-03029-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is associated with widespread cognitive impairment. The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) is most frequently used to assess cognitive function. However, the MCCB test is time consuming for the clinician. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an adjunctive tool to overcome this limitation and provides a new means to assess cognitive function. METHODS The present study examined the validity and safety of using VR technology to assess cognitive function in Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia (SZs). The VR cognition training system (VRCTS) was used to simulate real-life supermarkets and assess cognitive function. Thirty-two SZs and 25 healthy controls (HCs) underwent VRCTS and MCCB assessments. An auxiliary diagnosis model was created based on the outcomes of the VRCTS to classify SZs and HCs by cognitive impairment. RESULTS Significant differences in completion time between the SZs and HCs were detected using the VRCTS. SZs spent more time completing tasks than HCs. The outcome of VRCTS significantly correlated with the MCCB. The auxiliary diagnosis model had a sensitivity of 88.89% and a specificity of 88.89%. CONCLUSIONS These results support the use of VR technology in the assessment of cognitive impairment in Han Chinese schizophrenia patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION China Clinical Trial Registry, ChiVTR1800016121. Registered 13 May 2018, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=27233.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bochao Huang
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Shangda Li
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Bing Sun
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China ,Ningbo Psychiatric Hospital, 11 Rixingfang, Jiangbei District, Ningbo, 315032 Zhejiang province China
| | - Hailong lyu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Weijuan Xu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Jianping Jiao
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Fen Pan
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Jianbo Hu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Jinkai Chen
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder’s Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003 Zhejiang Province China
| | - Yaping Chen
- Ningbo Psychiatric Hospital, 11 Rixingfang, Jiangbei District, Ningbo, 315032 Zhejiang province China
| | - Manli Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang Province, China.
| | - Yi Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University Brain Research Institute, Zhejiang Engineering Center for Mathematical Mental Health, 79 Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Dietrichkeit M, Grzella K, Nagel M, Moritz S. Using virtual reality to explore differences in memory biases and cognitive insight in people with psychosis and healthy controls. Psychiatry Res 2020; 285:112787. [PMID: 32058878 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Memory biases (e.g. overconfidence in false memories) are implicated in the pathogenesis of delusions. Virtual reality (VR) may provide an opportunity to observe such biases and improve cognitive insight in patients with psychosis via corrective feedback. Thirty-nine patients with psychosis and 20 healthy controls explored VR environments designed to elicit false memories and subsequently had to recollect items and faces. We used a randomised-controlled design where half of the sample received performance feedback on the recollection task in order to correct overconfidence. Changes in cognitive insight were measured using the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. Regarding accuracy, patients performed worse on the social task (recollection of faces) only. Patients displayed overconfidence in false memories for emotions and gave more high-confident responses compared to healthy controls on the social task. Feedback did not improve cognitive insight. Patients rated their cognitive insight higher than healthy controls. Future research should address problems with subjective measurements for cognitive insight. To conclude, patients with psychosis showed impaired social cognition and there was evidence for impaired metacognition, as patients reported higher cognitive insight despite comparable or worse performance as well as overconfidence relative to controls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mona Dietrichkeit
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Asklepios Clinic North, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karsten Grzella
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Nagel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Asklepios Clinic North, Hamburg, Germany; Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Rus-Calafell M, Garety P, Sason E, Craig TJK, Valmaggia LR. Virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of psychosis: a systematic review of its utility, acceptability and effectiveness. Psychol Med 2018; 48:362-391. [PMID: 28735593 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717001945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, there has been a rapid increase of studies testing the efficacy and acceptability of virtual reality in the assessment and treatment of mental health problems. This systematic review was carried out to investigate the use of virtual reality in the assessment and the treatment of psychosis. Web of Science, PsychInfo, EMBASE, Scopus, ProQuest and PubMed databases were searched, resulting in the identification of 638 articles potentially eligible for inclusion; of these, 50 studies were included in the review. The main fields of research in virtual reality and psychosis are: safety and acceptability of the technology; neurocognitive evaluation; functional capacity and performance evaluation; assessment of paranoid ideation and auditory hallucinations; and interventions. The studies reviewed indicate that virtual reality offers a valuable method of assessing the presence of symptoms in ecologically valid environments, with the potential to facilitate learning new emotional and behavioural responses. Virtual reality is a promising method to be used in the assessment of neurocognitive deficits and the study of relevant clinical symptoms. Furthermore, preliminary findings suggest that it can be applied to the delivery of cognitive rehabilitation, social skills training interventions and virtual reality-assisted therapies for psychosis. The potential benefits for enhancing treatment are highlighted. Recommendations for future research include demonstrating generalisability to real-life settings, examining potential negative effects, larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up studies. The present review has been registered in the PROSPERO register: CDR 4201507776.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Rus-Calafell
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,London,UK
| | - P Garety
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,London,UK
| | - E Sason
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,London,UK
| | - T J K Craig
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,London,UK
| | - L R Valmaggia
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,London,UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
van Bennekom MJ, de Koning PP, Denys D. Virtual Reality Objectifies the Diagnosis of Psychiatric Disorders: A Literature Review. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:163. [PMID: 28928677 PMCID: PMC5591833 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date, a diagnosis in psychiatry is largely based on a clinical interview and questionnaires. The retrospective and subjective nature of these methods leads to recall and interviewer biases. Therefore, there is a clear need for more objective and standardized assessment methods to support the diagnostic process. The introduction of virtual reality (VR) creates the possibility to simultaneously provoke and measure psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, VR could contribute to the objectivity and reliability in the assessment of psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE In this literature review, we will evaluate the assessment of psychiatric disorders by means of VR environments. First, we investigate if these VR environments are capable of simultaneously provoking and measuring psychiatric symptoms. Next, we compare these measures with traditional diagnostic measures. METHODS We performed a systematic search using PubMed, Embase, and Psycinfo; references of selected articles were checked for eligibility. We identified studies from 1990 to 2016 on VR used in the assessment of psychiatric disorders. Studies were excluded if VR was used for therapeutic purposes, if a different technique was used, or in case of limitation to a non-clinical sample. RESULTS A total of 39 studies were included for further analysis. The disorders most frequently studied included schizophrenia (n = 15), developmental disorders (n = 12), eating disorders (n = 3), and anxiety disorders (n = 6). In attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, the most comprehensive measurement was used including several key symptoms of the disorder. Most of the studies, however, concerned the use of VR to assess a single aspect of a psychiatric disorder. DISCUSSION In general, nearly all VR environments studied were able to simultaneously provoke and measure psychiatric symptoms. Furthermore, in 14 studies, significant correlations were found between VR measures and traditional diagnostic measures. Relatively small clinical sample sizes were used, impeding definite conclusions. Based on this review, the innovative technique of VR shows potential to contribute to objectivity and reliability in the psychiatric diagnostic process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martine J van Bennekom
- Academic Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Pelle P de Koning
- Academic Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Damiaan Denys
- Academic Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Marcos-Pablos S, González-Pablos E, Martín-Lorenzo C, Flores LA, Gómez-García-Bermejo J, Zalama E. Virtual Avatar for Emotion Recognition in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Pilot Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:421. [PMID: 27616987 PMCID: PMC4999437 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Persons who suffer from schizophrenia have difficulties in recognizing emotions in others’ facial expressions, which affects their capabilities for social interaction and hinders their social integration. Photographic images have traditionally been used to explore emotion recognition impairments in schizophrenia patients, but they lack of the dynamism that is inherent to facial expressiveness. In order to overcome those inconveniences, over the last years different authors have proposed the use of virtual avatars. In this work, we present the results of a pilot study that explored the possibilities of using a realistic-looking avatar for the assessment of emotion recognition deficits in patients who suffer from schizophrenia. In the study, 20 subjects with schizophrenia of long evolution and 20 control subjects were invited to recognize a set of facial expressions of emotions showed by both the said virtual avatar and static images. Our results show that schizophrenic patients exhibit recognition deficits in emotion recognition from facial expressions regardless the type of stimuli (avatar or images), and that those deficits are related with the psychopathology. Finally, some improvements in recognition rates (RRs) for the patient group when using the avatar were observed for sadness or surprise expressions, and they even outperform the control group in the recognition of the happiness expression. This leads to conclude that, apart from the dynamism of the shown expression, the RRs for schizophrenia patients when employing animated avatars may depend on other factors which need to be further explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carlos Martín-Lorenzo
- Research Unit, Hermanas Hospitalarias Centro Sociosanitario Palencia Palencia, Spain
| | - Luis A Flores
- Cartif Foundation, Parque Tecnológico de Boecillo Valladolid, Spain
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bekele E, Bian D, Peterman J, Park S, Sarkar N. Design of a Virtual Reality System for Affect Analysis in Facial Expressions (VR-SAAFE); Application to Schizophrenia. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2016; 25:739-749. [PMID: 27429438 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2016.2591556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a life-long, debilitating psychotic disorder with poor outcome that affects about 1% of the population. Although pharmacotherapy can alleviate some of the acute psychotic symptoms, residual social impairments present a significant barrier that prevents successful rehabilitation. With limited resources and access to social skills training opportunities, innovative technology has emerged as a potentially powerful tool for intervention. In this paper, we present a novel virtual reality (VR)-based system for understanding facial emotion processing impairments that may lead to poor social outcome in schizophrenia. We henceforth call it a VR System for Affect Analysis in Facial Expressions (VR-SAAFE). This system integrates a VR-based task presentation platform that can minutely control facial expressions of an avatar with or without accompanying verbal interaction, with an eye-tracker to quantitatively measure a participants real-time gaze and a set of physiological sensors to infer his/her affective states to allow in-depth understanding of the emotion recognition mechanism of patients with schizophrenia based on quantitative metrics. A usability study with 12 patients with schizophrenia and 12 healthy controls was conducted to examine processing of the emotional faces. Preliminary results indicated that there were significant differences in the way patients with schizophrenia processed and responded towards the emotional faces presented in the VR environment compared with healthy control participants. The preliminary results underscore the utility of such a VR-based system that enables precise and quantitative assessment of social skill deficits in patients with schizophrenia.
Collapse
|
17
|
Neural Processing of Emotional Prosody across the Adult Lifespan. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:590216. [PMID: 26583118 PMCID: PMC4637042 DOI: 10.1155/2015/590216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Revised: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Emotion recognition deficits emerge with the increasing age, in particular, a decline in the identification of sadness. However, little is known about the age-related changes of emotion processing in sensory, affective, and executive brain areas. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated neural correlates of auditory processing of prosody across adult lifespan. Unattended detection of emotional prosody changes was assessed in 21 young (age range: 18-35 years), 19 middle-aged (age range: 36-55 years), and 15 older (age range: 56-75 years) adults. Pseudowords uttered with neutral prosody were standards in an oddball paradigm with angry, sad, happy, and gender deviants (total 20% deviants). Changes in emotional prosody and voice gender elicited bilateral superior temporal gyri (STG) responses reflecting automatic encoding of prosody. At the right STG, responses to sad deviants decreased linearly with age, whereas happy events exhibited a nonlinear relationship. In contrast to behavioral data, no age by sex interaction emerged on the neural networks. The aging decline of emotion processing of prosodic cues emerges already at an early automatic stage of information processing at the level of the auditory cortex. However, top-down modulation may lead to an additional perceptional bias, for example, towards positive stimuli, and may depend on context factors such as the listener's sex.
Collapse
|
18
|
Impairments in Negative Facial Emotion Recognition in Chinese Schizophrenia Patients Detected With a Newly Designed Task. J Nerv Ment Dis 2015; 203:718-24. [PMID: 26252822 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Facial emotion recognition has been found to be impaired in schizophrenia, although overall results have been inconclusive. A new set of facial emotion stimuli with Chinese faces was developed, using static and dynamic avatars, the identification of which were subsequently validated in 562 healthy control subjects. This test was then used to identify facial emotion recognition accuracy in 44 patients with schizophrenia and 41 healthy controls. Overall, patients identified facial emotions significantly worse than healthy controls (p = 0.018) with a significant main effect for type of emotion (p = 0.016). Patients performed significantly worse in fear (p = 0.029) and sadness (p = 0.037), and marginally worse in anger (p = 0.052). No significant differences were evident in contempt (p = 0.254) or happiness (p = 0.943). Regarding error rates of misattribution, patients overidentified contempt (p = 0.035) and sadness (p = 0.01), but not anger, fear, or happiness. Conclusion, patients of Chinese ethnicity with schizophrenia may have significantly greater difficulties identifying negative, but not positive emotions.
Collapse
|
19
|
Cordes JS, Mathiak KA, Dyck M, Alawi EM, Gaber TJ, Zepf FD, Klasen M, Zvyagintsev M, Gur RC, Mathiak K. Cognitive and neural strategies during control of the anterior cingulate cortex by fMRI neurofeedback in patients with schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:169. [PMID: 26161073 PMCID: PMC4480149 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive functioning is impaired in patients with schizophrenia, leading to significant disabilities in everyday functioning. Its improvement is an important treatment target. Neurofeedback (NF) seems a promising method to address the neural dysfunctions underlying those cognitive impairments. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a central hub for cognitive processing, is one of the brain regions known to be dysfunctional in schizophrenia. Here we conducted NF training based on real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in patients with schizophrenia to enable them to control their ACC activity. Training was performed over 3 days in a group of 11 patients with schizophrenia and 11 healthy controls. Social feedback was provided in accordance with the evoked activity in the selected region of interest (ROI). Neural and cognitive strategies were examined off-line. Both groups learned to control the activity of their ACC but used different neural strategies: patients activated the dorsal and healthy controls the rostral subdivision. Patients mainly used imagination of music to elicit activity and the control group imagination of sports. In a stepwise regression analysis, the difference in neural control did not result from the differences in cognitive strategies but from diagnosis alone. Based on social reinforcers, patients with schizophrenia can learn to regulate localized brain activity. However, cognitive strategies and neural network location differ from healthy controls. These data emphasize that for therapeutic interventions in patients with schizophrenia compensatory strategies may emerge. Specific cognitive skills or specific dysfunctional networks should be addressed to train impaired skills. Social NF based on fMRI may be one method to accomplish precise learning targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia S Cordes
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Krystyna A Mathiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Miriam Dyck
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Eliza M Alawi
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Tilman J Gaber
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Florian D Zepf
- JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences and School of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia (M561) Perth, WA, Australia ; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Department of Health in Western Australia Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Martin Klasen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Mikhail Zvyagintsev
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Klaus Mathiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany ; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Macedo M, Marques A, Queirós C. Virtual reality in assessment and treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review. JORNAL BRASILEIRO DE PSIQUIATRIA 2015. [DOI: 10.1590/0047-2085000000059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Objective To conduct a systematic review about the use of virtual reality (VR) for evaluation, treatment and/or rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia, focused on: areas, fields and objectives; methodological issues; features of the VR used; viability and efficiency of this resource. Methods Searches were performed about schizophrenia and virtual reality in PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Web of Science and Business Source Premier databases, using the following keywords: [“schizophrenia”] AND [“virtual reality” OR “serious game”] AND [“treatment” OR “therapy” OR “rehabilitation”]. The search was carried out between November 2013 and June 2014 without using any search limiters. Results A total of 101 papers were identified, and after the application of exclusion criteria, 33 papers remained. The studies analysed focused on the use of VR for the evaluation of cognitive, social, perceptual and sensory skills, and the vast majority were experimental studies, with virtual reality specifically created for them. All the reviewed papers point towards a reliable and safe use of VR for evaluating and treating cognitive and social deficits in patients with schizophrenia, with different results in terms of generalisation, motivation, assertiveness and task participation rate. Some problems were highlighted, such as its high cost and a constant need for software maintenance. Conclusion The studies show that using the virtual reality may streamline traditional evaluation/rehabilitation programmes, allowing to enhance the results achieved, both in the cognitive and in the social field, helping for the legitimisation of this population’s psycho-social inclusion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mônica Macedo
- University of Porto, Portugal; Federal University of Paraná, Brazil
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Wolf K, Maß R, Lambert M, Wiedemann K, Naber D. [Expression, identification and experience of emotions in mental diseases. An overview]. DER NERVENARZT 2014; 85:326-8, 330-5. [PMID: 23657731 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-013-3778-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Several studies in clinical neuroscience have focused on the analysis of expression of emotions, identification of emotions and experience of emotions. These empirical studies produced certain insights into emotional competency in different mental diseases, most of them in schizophrenia. The current article gives a description of the scientific data about alterations in emotional competency in several mental diseases (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, bipolar and borderline diseases) and links the data, if possible, with clinical relevance with a special focus on emotional competency in prodromal schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Wolf
- Zentrum für Seelische Gesundheit, Klinik Marienheide, Leppestr. 65-67, 51709, Marienheide, Deutschland,
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Välimäki M, Hätönen HM, Lahti ME, Kurki M, Hottinen A, Metsäranta K, Riihimäki T, Adams CE. Virtual reality for treatment compliance for people with serious mental illness. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014; 2014:CD009928. [PMID: 25300174 PMCID: PMC8078301 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd009928.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) is computerised real-time technology, which can be used an alternative assessment and treatment tool in the mental health field. Virtual reality may take different forms to simulate real-life activities and support treatment. OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of virtual reality to support treatment compliance in people with serious mental illness. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (most recent, 17th September 2013) and relevant reference lists. SELECTION CRITERIA All relevant randomised studies comparing virtual reality with standard care for those with serious mental illnesses. We defined virtual reality as a computerised real-time technology using graphics, sound and other sensory input, which creates the interactive computer-mediated world as a therapeutic tool. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS All review authors independently selected studies and extracted data. For homogeneous dichotomous data the risk difference (RD) and the 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated on an intention-to-treat basis. For continuous data, we calculated mean differences (MD). We assessed risk of bias and created a 'Summary of findings' table using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS We identified three short-term trials (total of 156 participants, duration five to 12 weeks). Outcomes were prone to at least a moderate risk of overestimating positive effects. We found that virtual reality had little effects regarding compliance (3 RCTs, n = 156, RD loss to follow-up 0.02 CI -0.08 to 0.12, low quality evidence), cognitive functioning (1 RCT, n = 27, MD average score on Cognistat 4.67 CI -1.76 to 11.10, low quality evidence), social skills (1 RCT, n = 64, MD average score on social problem solving SPSI-R (Social Problem Solving Inventory - Revised) -2.30 CI -8.13 to 3.53, low quality evidence), or acceptability of intervention (2 RCTs, n = 92, RD 0.05 CI -0.09 to 0.19, low quality evidence). There were no data reported on mental state, insight, behaviour, quality of life, costs, service utilisation, or adverse effects. Satisfaction with treatment - measured using an un-referenced scale - and reported as "interest in training" was better for the virtual reality group (1 RCT, n = 64, MD 6.00 CI 1.39 to 10.61,low quality evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS There is no clear good quality evidence for or against using virtual reality for treatment compliance among people with serious mental illness. If virtual reality is used, the experimental nature of the intervention should be clearly explained. High-quality studies should be undertaken in this area to explore any effects of this novel intervention and variations of approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maritta Välimäki
- University of TurkuDepartment of Nursing ScienceTurkuFinland
- Turku University HospitalTurkuFinland
| | - Heli M Hätönen
- University of TurkuDepartment of Nursing ScienceTurkuFinland
| | - Mari E Lahti
- University of TurkuDepartment of Nursing ScienceTurkuFinland
- Turku University of Applied SciencesHealth and Social ScienceRusikatu 8TurkuFinland20720
| | - Marjo Kurki
- University of TurkuDepartment of Nursing ScienceTurkuFinland
| | - Anja Hottinen
- University of TurkuDepartment of Nursing ScienceTurkuFinland
| | - Kiki Metsäranta
- University of TurkuDepartment of Nursing ScienceTurkuFinland
| | - Tanja Riihimäki
- The Helsinki University Central HospitalPsychiatric Unit, Outpatient Clinic for AdolescentsTammipääntie 40EspooUusimaaFinland02730
| | - Clive E Adams
- The University of NottinghamCochrane Schizophrenia GroupInstitute of Mental HealthUniversity of Nottingham Innovation Park, Triumph Road,NottinghamUKNG7 2TU
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Joyal CC, Jacob L, Cigna MH, Guay JP, Renaud P. Virtual faces expressing emotions: an initial concomitant and construct validity study. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:787. [PMID: 25324768 PMCID: PMC4179743 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial expressions of emotions represent classic stimuli for the study of social cognition. Developing virtual dynamic facial expressions of emotions, however, would open-up possibilities, both for fundamental and clinical research. For instance, virtual faces allow real-time Human-Computer retroactions between physiological measures and the virtual agent. OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to initially assess concomitants and construct validity of a newly developed set of virtual faces expressing six fundamental emotions (happiness, surprise, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust). Recognition rates, facial electromyography (zygomatic major and corrugator supercilii muscles), and regional gaze fixation latencies (eyes and mouth regions) were compared in 41 adult volunteers (20 ♂, 21 ♀) during the presentation of video clips depicting real vs. virtual adults expressing emotions. RESULTS Emotions expressed by each set of stimuli were similarly recognized, both by men and women. Accordingly, both sets of stimuli elicited similar activation of facial muscles and similar ocular fixation times in eye regions from man and woman participants. CONCLUSION Further validation studies can be performed with these virtual faces among clinical populations known to present social cognition difficulties. Brain-Computer Interface studies with feedback-feedforward interactions based on facial emotion expressions can also be conducted with these stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian C. Joyal
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
- Research Center, Philippe-Pinel Institute of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laurence Jacob
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | | | - Jean-Pierre Guay
- Research Center, Philippe-Pinel Institute of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Criminology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Patrice Renaud
- Research Center, Philippe-Pinel Institute of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Demenescu LR, Mathiak KA, Mathiak K. Age- and Gender-Related Variations of Emotion Recognition in Pseudowords and Faces. Exp Aging Res 2014; 40:187-207. [DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2014.882210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
25
|
BESST (Bochum Emotional Stimulus Set)--a pilot validation study of a stimulus set containing emotional bodies and faces from frontal and averted views. Psychiatry Res 2013; 209:98-109. [PMID: 23219103 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Revised: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 11/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This article introduces the freely available Bochum Emotional Stimulus Set (BESST), which contains pictures of bodies and faces depicting either a neutral expression or one of the six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, and surprise), presented from two different perspectives (0° frontal view vs. camera averted by 45° to the left). The set comprises 565 frontal view and 564 averted view pictures of real-life bodies with masked facial expressions and 560 frontal and 560 averted view faces which were synthetically created using the FaceGen 3.5 Modeller. All stimuli were validated in terms of categorization accuracy and the perceived naturalness of the expression. Additionally, each facial stimulus was morphed into three age versions (20/40/60 years). The results show high recognition of the intended facial expressions, even under speeded forced-choice conditions, as corresponds to common experimental settings. The average naturalness ratings for the stimuli range between medium and high.
Collapse
|
26
|
Impaired facial emotion recognition in a ketamine model of psychosis. Psychiatry Res 2012; 200:724-7. [PMID: 22776754 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Revised: 02/24/2012] [Accepted: 06/24/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social cognitive disabilities are a common feature in schizophrenia. Given the role of glutamatergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia-related cognitive impairments, we investigated the effects of the glutamatergic NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine on facial emotion recognition. METHODS Eighteen healthy male subjects were tested on two occasions, one without medication and one after administration with subanesthetic doses of intravenous ketamine. Emotion recognition was examined using the Ekman 60 Faces Test. In addition, attention was measured by the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and psychopathology was rated using the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). RESULTS Ketamine produced a non-significant deterioration of global emotion recognition abilities. Specifically, the ability to correctly identify the facial expression of sadness was significantly reduced in the ketamine condition. These results were independent of psychotic symptoms and selective attention. CONCLUSION Our results point to the involvement of the glutamatergic system in the ability to recognize facial emotions.
Collapse
|
27
|
Sarkheil P, Goebel R, Schneider F, Mathiak K. Emotion unfolded by motion: a role for parietal lobe in decoding dynamic facial expressions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2012; 8:950-7. [PMID: 22962061 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial expressions convey important emotional and social information and are frequently applied in investigations of human affective processing. Dynamic faces may provide higher ecological validity to examine perceptual and cognitive processing of facial expressions. Higher order processing of emotional faces was addressed by varying the task and virtual face models systematically. Blood oxygenation level-dependent activation was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 20 healthy volunteers while viewing and evaluating either emotion or gender intensity of dynamic face stimuli. A general linear model analysis revealed that high valence activated a network of motion-responsive areas, indicating that visual motion areas support perceptual coding for the motion-based intensity of facial expressions. The comparison of emotion with gender discrimination task revealed increased activation of inferior parietal lobule, which highlights the involvement of parietal areas in processing of high level features of faces. Dynamic emotional stimuli may help to emphasize functions of the hypothesized 'extended' over the 'core' system for face processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pegah Sarkheil
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Tel.: +49 241 80 89633, Fax: +49 241 80 82401.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
Supramodal representation of emotion and its neural substrates have recently attracted attention as a marker of social cognition. However, the question whether perceptual integration of facial and vocal emotions takes place in primary sensory areas, multimodal cortices, or in affective structures remains unanswered yet. Using novel computer-generated stimuli, we combined emotional faces and voices in congruent and incongruent ways and assessed functional brain data (fMRI) during an emotional classification task. Both congruent and incongruent audiovisual stimuli evoked larger responses in thalamus and superior temporal regions compared with unimodal conditions. Congruent emotions were characterized by activation in amygdala, insula, ventral posterior cingulate (vPCC), temporo-occipital, and auditory cortices; incongruent emotions activated a frontoparietal network and bilateral caudate nucleus, indicating a greater processing load in working memory and emotion-encoding areas. The vPCC alone exhibited differential reactions to congruency and incongruency for all emotion categories and can thus be considered a central structure for supramodal representation of complex emotional information. Moreover, the left amygdala reflected supramodal representation of happy stimuli. These findings document that emotional information does not merge at the perceptual audiovisual integration level in unimodal or multimodal areas, but in vPCC and amygdala.
Collapse
|