Cory Gerritsen

Visual search is not blind to emotion.

A series of three visual search tasks revealed more efficient search for hostile than for peaceful faces among neutral face distractors. Given that this effect has been observed inconsistently in prior literature, meta-analytic methods were employed for evaluating data across three experiments in order to develop a more valid estimate of the potentially small effect size. Furthermore, in the present experiments, different emotional meanings were conditioned to identical faces across observers, thus eliminating confounds between the physical characteristics and the emotional valences of the face stimuli. On the basis of the present findings, we argue that the visual system is capable of determining a faces emotional valence before the face becomes the focus of attention, and that emotional valence can be used by the visual system to determine subsequent attention allocation. However, meta-analytic results indicate that emotional valence makes a relatively small contribution to search efficiency in the present search context.

I can't get no satisfaction: potential causes of boredom

A variety of causes of boredom have been proposed including environmental, motivational, emotional, and cognitive factors. Here, we explore four potential cognitive causes of boredom: inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and executive dysfunction. Specifically, we examine the unique and common associations between these factors and boredom propensity. Recent research has established that the two most commonly used measures of boredom propensity (BPS and BSS) are not measuring the same underlying construct. Thus, a second goal of the present project is to determine the unique and common roles of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and poor executive system functioning in predicting the BPS and BSS specifically. The findings reveal that inattention, hyperactivity and executive dysfunction predict boredom propensity, with shared variance accounting for the greater part of this effect. Further, executive dysfunction and hyperactivity uniquely predict boredom propensity as measured by the BPS and BSS, respectively.

What influences visual search efficiency? Disentangling contributions of preattentive and postattentive processes

The present experiments introduce a new search technique for disentangling contributions of preattentive guidance and postattentive template matching to search efficiency. Participants performed searches (for negative or positive faces in Experiment 1; pop-out search in Experiment 2; conjunction search in Experiment 3) under either standard viewing conditions or a new restricted viewing condition in which items were occluded by black placeholders and revealed only when a participant moved the mouse pointer over the black square. Under full viewing conditions, search performance can be aided by both preattentive and postattentive mechanisms, whereas the mouse-contingent search relies solely on postattentive template-matching processes. Results demonstrate the utility of this new methodology for distinguishing contributions of preattentive guidance and postattentive template-matching processes in ambiguous search situations. Furthermore, application of the new restricting viewing method to search for emotionally expressive faces suggested that emotional information is processed preattentively and influences the allocation of focal attention.

Imaging Microglial Activation in Individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: an In Vivo PET Study with [ 18 F]FEPPA

Several lines of evidence implicate microglial activation and abnormal immune response in the etiology of psychosis. Previous positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging studies of the translocator protein 18 kDa, TSPO, were limited by low affinity of the first-generation radioligand, low-resolution scanners, and small sample sizes. Moreover, there is a dearth of literature on microglial activation in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. We used a novel second-generation TSPO radioligand, [18F]FEPPA, to examine whether microglial activation is elevated in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and hippocampus of antipsychotic-naive CHR. Twenty-four CHR (antipsychotic-naive n=22) and 23 healthy volunteers (HV) completed a high resolution [18F]FEPPA PET scan and MRI. The PET data were analyzed using the validated two-tissue compartment model with arterial plasma input function with total volume of distribution (VT) as outcome measure. All analyses were controlled for the TSPO rs6971 polymorphism. We did not observe any significant differences in microglial activation, as indexed by [18F]FEPPA VT, between CHR and HV in either the DLPFC (F(1, 44)=0.41, p=0.52) or the hippocampus (F(1, 44)=2.78, p=0.10). Exploratory associations show that in CHR, [18F]FEPPA VT was positively correlated with apathy (DLPFC: r=0.55, p=0.008; hippocampus: r=0.52, p=0.013) and state anxiety (DLPFC: r=0.60, p=0.003; hippocampus: r=0.48, p=0.024). The lack of significant group differences in [18F]FEPPA VT suggests that microglial activation is not significantly elevated in the clinical high risk state that precedes psychosis.

Assessing Outcomes Through Congruence of Course Objectives and Reflective Work

Introduction: Course outcomes have been assessed by examining the congruence between statements of commitment to change (CTCs) and course objectives. Other forms of postcourse reflective exercises (for example, impact and unmet‐needs statements) have not been examined for congruence with course objectives or their utility in assessing course outcomes. This study assessed the congruence of course objectives and statements of commitment to change, effects on practice, unmet‐needs, and the utility of supplementing CTCs with other forms of reflective work in course evaluations. Methods: A 3‐module course on Alzheimers disease and other dementias provided end‐of‐course CTC statements, follow‐up data, and statements of effects on practice and unmet needs. Statements were aligned to module objectives and analyzed descriptively. Results: Of the 932 physicians who registered for 1 of the 3 modules, 404 provided CTCs, 302 provided impact statements, and 265 provided unmet‐needs statements. Sixty percent of the CTCs could be assigned to an objective for their module, and between 14% and 25% of CTCs were assigned to objectives for another module. Three‐quarters of CTCs were fully or partially implemented. Physicians did not have an opportunity to implement the new content in 70% of nonimplemented CTCs. Fewer impact and unmet‐needs statements were congruent with course objectives than CTCs. Conclusions: Commitment‐to‐change statements had more congruence with objectives than did impact or unmet‐needs statements. These latter statements, particularly those that could not be assigned to an objective, may reinforce and supplement the information provided by CTC analyses.

Do emotionally expressive faces automatically capture attention? Evidence from global–local interference

The present experiments investigated whether perception of a global face gestalt automatically interferes with processing of facial features. Upward- and downward-curved arcs were grouped into triplets to resemble faces with positive or negative expressions. The arcs were presented either in a uniform grey colour to facilitate global face perception or in mixed colours where individual arcs were coloured red to reduce global face perception. Experiments 1 and 2 induced a local processing orientation by requiring participants to count individual arc features. Negative face displays yielded slower and less accurate arc counting performance than positive face displays, but only when all arcs were the same colour. In Experiment 3, a global processing orientation was induced by requiring participants to count the number of arc triplets. This time, negative face displays yielded slower reaction times, regardless of feature colour. These results show that interference from emotional face gestalts is not automatic but can be eliminated and may depend on both attentional control settings and “bottom-up” stimulus attributes.

Boredom proneness predicts quality of life in outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

Background: There is increasing recognition of the clinical significance of boredom associated with functional impairments in schizophrenia. Previous work has highlighted the importance of motivational deficits more broadly, although no study has yet explored the unique effects of boredom on community outcomes. Aims: This study aims to measure boredom proneness among outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia to determine whether it is elevated in this population and to determine its relation to quality-of-life outcomes. Methods: A self-report measure of boredom proneness along with standard measures of symptoms and functional status was administered to a community-dwelling sample of schizophrenia outpatients. Results: Boredom proneness was found to be elevated in this population and was associated with reduced quality of life, specifically with leisure activity dissatisfaction and reduced sense of financial well-being. Negative symptoms were determined to be associated with reduced work and school functioning. Conclusion: This pattern of unique effects on quality of life highlights the clinical relevance of identifying a subjective state of boredom and has theoretical importance in distinguishing boredom proneness specifically from more general avolitional and amotivational conditions that have tended to be the focus of clinical observation and previous research.

Glutathione, the Major Redox Regulator, in the Prefrontal Cortex of Individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

Abstract Introduction Oxidative stress and glutathione dysregulation have been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia. To date, most in vivo studies have investigated alterations in cerebral glutathione levels in patients in which the disorder is already established; however, whether oxidative stress actually predates the onset of psychosis remains unknown. In the current study, we investigated cerebral glutathione levels of antipsychotic-naïve individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. As exploratory analyses, we also investigated the associations between cerebral glutathione levels and peripheral glutathione peroxidase activity and clinical and neuropsychological measures. Methods Glutathione levels were measured in the medial prefrontal cortex of 30 clinical high risk (n=26 antipsychotic naïve) and 26 healthy volunteers using 3T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Each participant was assessed for glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma and genotyped for the glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit polymorphism. Results No significant differences were observed in glutathione levels between clinical high risk and healthy volunteers in the medial prefrontal cortex (F(1,54)=0.001, P =0.98). There were no significant correlations between cerebral glutathione levels and clinical and neuropsychological measures. Similarly, no significant differences were found in peripheral glutathione peroxidase activity between clinical high risk and healthy volunteers (F(1,37)=0.15, P =0.70). However, in clinical high risk, we observed a significant effect of lifetime history of cannabis use on glutathione peroxidase activity (F(1,23)=7.41, P =0.01). Discussion The lack of significant differences between antipsychotic naïve clinical high risk and healthy volunteers suggests that alterations in glutathione levels in medial prefrontal cortex are not present in the clinical high risk state.

Examining the dimensions of schizotypy from the top down: A hierarchical comparison of item-level factor solutions.

Numerous factor analytic studies of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire have supported a range of solutions, many with differing numbers of factors. Although some solutions have received more support than others, it remains unclear how clinicians and researchers may evaluate solutions with similar levels of empirical support in relation to one another, and few item-level analyses have been conducted. In the current study, we seek to explore the relationships among various factor solutions in a hierarchical manner using Goldberg’s (2006) Bass-Ackward approach. A final sample of 847 undergraduate students completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire with a Likert-style response format. Item-level exploratory factor analyses with between one and nine factors were extracted. Interrelationships among these solutions were examined. Each solution was evaluated in terms of its content, statistical significance, simple structure, and consistency with previous findings. Factor solutions at several levels were found to replicate findings from past factor analyses in terms of individual factor content and relative merit. Solutions with between four and six factors received the most support and solutions with up to seven factors were found to achieve support.