"Functional magnetic resonance imaging is providing a model to study emotional processing and better understand how this processing may be disturbed in depression. When shown brief images of emotion-laden faces, subjects suffering from depression show exaggerated responses. Depressed or angry faces produce heighted amygdala responses in those with depression. Happy faces produce a blunted amygdala response.
Teresa Victor and colleagues recently published a study in the American Journal of Psychiatryproviding additional information about this emotional processing bias. (Disclosure: Dr. Victor is now a neuroscientist with the Laureate Brain Institute-my employer). She summarized her findings in a recent journal club. Here are the key findings from her recent research:
Teresa Victor and colleagues recently published a study in the American Journal of Psychiatryproviding additional information about this emotional processing bias. (Disclosure: Dr. Victor is now a neuroscientist with the Laureate Brain Institute-my employer). She summarized her findings in a recent journal club. Here are the key findings from her recent research:
- The amygdala response to facial images occurs even with brief subliminal (unconscious) presentations
- Sad facial images activate the amygdala in depressed subjects (compared to controls) in both those with active and remitted depression
- Happy facial images activate the amygdala in controls more than depressed subjects
- Eight weeks of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy (sertraline) reverse (normalize) the amygdala response to facial emotion cues
The authors summarize their findings “These data demonstrate that negative emotional-processing biases occur automatically, below the level of conscious awareness, in unmedicated, currently depressed people…”. “This nonconscious processing of emotional stimuli is consistent with evidence that the amygdala contains cells that are tuned selectively to specific stimulus characteristics, facilitating early detection of biologically salient information”.
The findings from this research suggest exaggerated amygdala responses to sad faces may be a trait marker and not just due to the presence of active depression. This might allow this trait to be studied as an endophenotype (or potential genetic marker for depression). Normalization of this exaggerated response with selective serotoning reuptake inhibitors may provide an additional paradigm for studying the effect of new novel antidepressants."
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The findings from this research suggest exaggerated amygdala responses to sad faces may be a trait marker and not just due to the presence of active depression. This might allow this trait to be studied as an endophenotype (or potential genetic marker for depression). Normalization of this exaggerated response with selective serotoning reuptake inhibitors may provide an additional paradigm for studying the effect of new novel antidepressants."
-More Here
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