Facial Sadness Recognition is Modulated by Estrogen Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Healthy Females

Genetic variations as predictors of dispositional and dyadic empathy-a couple study

Biological drivers of empathy have been explored in an interdisciplinary manner for decades. Research that merges the psychological and genetic perspectives of empathy has recently gained interest, and more complex designs and analyses are needed. Empathy is a multidimensional construct that might be regarded both dispositionally (as a personality trait) and contextually (experienced and/or expressed in a particular relationship/situation). This study analyzed genetic variations associated with genes encoding oxytocin, arginine vasopressin, and receptors that regulate their secretion as predictors of the empathic dimensions of emotional (empathic concern and personal distress) and cognitive (perspective taking) dyadic factors of partners in heterosexual intimate relationships. Machine learning methods to capture both linear and nonlinear relationships between SNPs, RS1 and RS2 repeat polymorphisms and dimensions of empathy in couples were employed. A total of 442 individuals (221 couples) participated in this study. Empathy was measured by the Polish version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples. The MassARRAY® 4 instrument, which combines mass spectrometry with endpoint PCR, was used for genotyping all 14 genetic variations. Microsatellite fragment analysis was performed by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results confirmed the significance of certain genetic alterations linked to oxytocin, vasopressin, serotonin and estrogen for dispositional and dyadic empathy (mainly rs1884051, rs6311, RS1, rs4686302, and rs1042778) in couples. The effects were stronger for the prediction of emotional and dyadic empathy than for perspective taking. Separate analyses for women and men indicated different predictive effects of genes for empathy (for example, effects of rs53576 were indicated only in women), which are also experienced and expressed in couples. Different dimensions of empathy should be included when the genetic predictors of empathy are examined.

'The mirror of the soul?' Inferring sadness in the eyes

The eyes are widely regarded as the mirror of the soul, providing reliable nonverbal information about drives, feelings, and intentions of others. However, it is unclear how accurate emotion recognition is when only the eyes are visible and whether inferring of emotions is altered across healthy adulthood. To fill this gap, the present piece of research was directed at comparing the ability to infer basic emotions in two groups of typically developing females that differed in age. We set a focus on females seeking group homogeneity. In a face-to-face study, in a two-alternative forced choice paradigm (2AFC), participants had to indicate emotions for faces covered by masks. The outcome reveals that although the recognition pattern is similar in both groups, inferring sadness in the eyes substantially improves with age. Inference of sadness is not only more accurate and less variable in older participants, but also positively correlates with age from early through mid-adulthood. Moreover, reading sadness (and anger) is more challenging in the eyes of male posers. A possible impact of poser gender and cultural background, both in expressing and inferring sadness in the eyes, is highlighted.

Anxiolytic effect of YangshenDingzhi granules: Integrated network pharmacology and hippocampal metabolomics

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental diseases. It is mainly characterized by a sudden, recurring but indescribable panic, fear, tension and/or anxiety. Yangshendingzhi granules (YSDZ) are widely used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, but its active ingredients and underlying mechanisms are not yet clear. This study integrates network pharmacology and metabolomics to investigate the potential mechanism of action of YSDZ in a rat model of anxiety. First, potential active ingredients and targets were screened by network pharmacology. Then, predictions were verified by molecular docking, molecular dynamics and western blotting. Metabolomics was used to identify differential metabolites and metabolic pathways. All results were integrated for a comprehensive analysis. Network pharmacology analysis found that Carotene, β-sitosterol, quercetin, Stigmasterol, and kaempferol in YSDZ exert anxiolytic effects mainly by acting on IL1β, GABRA1, PTGS1, ESR1, and TNF targets. Molecular docking results showed that all the affinities were lower than -5 kcal/mol, and the average affinities were -7.7764 kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulation results showed that RMSD was lower than 2.5 A, and the overall conformational changes of proteins were small, indicating that the small molecules formed stable complexes with proteins. The results of animal experiments showed that YSDZ exerts anxiolytic effects by regulating GABRA1 and TNF-α, ameliorating pathological damage in hippocampal CA1, and regulating metabolic pathways such as thiamine, cysteine and methionine metabolism, lysine biosynthesis and degradation. Altogether, we reveal multiple mechanisms through which YSDZ exerts its anti-anxiety effects, which may provide a reference for its clinical application and drug development.

The role of sex and emotion on emotion perception in artificial faces: An ERP study

Sex has a significant impact on the perception of emotional expressions. However, it remains unclear whether sex influences the perception of emotions in artificial faces, which are becoming popular in emotion research. We used an emotion recognition task with FaceGen faces portraying six basic emotions aiming to investigate the effect of sex and emotion on behavioural and electrophysiological parameters. 71 participants performed the task while EEG was recorded. The recognition of sadness was the poorest, however, females recognized sadness better than males. ERP results indicated that fear, disgust, and anger evoked higher amplitudes of late positive potential over the left parietal region compared to neutral expression. Females demonstrated higher values of global field power as compared to males. The interaction between sex and emotion on ERPs was not significant. The results of our study may be valuable for future therapies and research, as it emphasizes possibly distinct processing of emotions and potential sex differences in the recognition of emotional expressions in FaceGen faces.

Is the beta estradiol receptor receiving enough attention for its metabolic importance in postmenopause?

The relationship between menopause and the development of metabolic diseases is well established. In postmenopause women, there is an expansion of visceral white adipose tissue (WATv), which highly contributes to the rise of circulating lipids. Meanwhile, muscle glucose uptake decreases and hepatic glucose production increases. Consequently, in the pancreas, lipotoxicity and glycotoxicity lead to deficient insulin production. These factors initiate an energy imbalance and enhance the probability of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Although the activation of estradiol receptors (ER) has been shown to be beneficial for the WAT stock pattern, leading to the insulin-sensitive phenotype, authors have described the risk of these receptors' activation, contributing to neoplasia development. The selective activation of beta-type ER (ERβ) seems to be a promising strategy in the treatment of energy imbalance, acting on several tissues of metabolic importance and allowing an intervention with less risk for the development of estrogen-dependent neoplasia. However, the literature on the risks and benefits of selective ERβ activation still needs to increase. In this review, several aspects related to ERβ were considered, such as its physiological role in tissues of energy importance, beneficial effects, and risks of its stimulation during menopause. PubMed, SciELO, Cochrane, and Medline/Bireme databases were used in this study.

Slow electroencephalographic oscillations and behavioral measures as predictors of high executive processing in early postmenopausal females: A discriminant analysis approach

Decline in cognitive function is frequent in early postmenopause. There are postmenopausal females who show high performance while others display low performance in executive function, modulated by the prefrontal cortex. These differences have led to confusing and inconclusive results, which have not been explained entirely by the decline in estrogens, which affect the prefrontal cortex functions. An analysis of brain function and the application of a discriminant analysis can help to clarify the deficits in executive function shown by some postmenopausal females. The objective was to examine electroencephalographic recording during the performance of an executive function test in early postmenopausal females, ten with a high level of performance and ten with a low level of performance. Absolute power of delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1 and beta2 and the numbers of completed categories, trials, perseverative errors and overall errors were submitted to stepwise discriminant analysis to identify predictor variables. Four predictors emerged as significant of group membership based on cognitive performance, with the high-performance group characterized by more completed categories, more delta power, less theta power and more alpha1 power. These findings suggest that postmenopausal females classified in the high-performance group displayed appropriate temporary activation in slow oscillations during executive processing.