Guorong Ma

Inhibitory brainstem reflexes under external emotional-stimuli in bipolar I and II disorders

BackgroundBipolar disorder types I (BD I) and II (BD II) might present different dysfunctions of the cortex and brainstem, as reflected by the second exteroceptive suppression period of temporalis muscle activity (ES2) under different stimuli of external emotions.MethodsThis study included 30 BD I and 20 BD II patients, and 40 healthy volunteers. All participants were invited to answer the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the Hypomania Checklist-32, and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression inventory, as well as to undergo the ES2 test under external emotional-stimuli (emotional pictures plus sounds) of Disgust, Erotica, Fear, Happiness, and Sadness.ResultsThe scale scores were elevated in both patient groups, but were not correlated with ES2 parameters. Compared to healthy controls, BD I showed prolonged ES2 latency under Erotica, and their perceived happiness and sadness intensities were negatively correlated with the respective ES2 durations, while BD II showed prolonged ES2 latencies under Disgust and Happiness, and shortened ES2 durations under Disgust, Happiness and Sadness. Moreover, ES2 duration under Sadness was significantly shorter in BD II than that in BD I.ConclusionsThe cortico-brainstem inhibitory dysfunctions in BD I and BD II was different, and this difference was independent of the patient’s ongoing emotions. Our study thus provides some hints to distinguish the two types of bipolar disorders.

Predicting Personality Disorder Functioning Styles by the Five-Factor Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire in Healthy Volunteers and Personality Disorder Patients

Background: Detecting personality disorders in the illiterate population is a challenge, but nonverbal tools measuring personality traits such as the Five-Factor Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire (FFNPQ) might help. We hypothesized that FFNPQ traits are associated with personality disorder functioning styles in a predictable way, especially in a sample of personality disorder patients. Methods: We therefore invited 106 personality disorder patients and 205 healthy volunteers to answer the FFNPQ and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) which measures 11 personality disorder functioning styles. Results: Patients scored significantly higher on the FFNPQ neuroticism and conscientiousness traits and all 11 PERM styles. In both groups, the 5 FFNPQ traits displayed extensive associations with the 11 PERM styles, respectively, and the associations were more specific in patients. Associations between neuroticism, extraversion and agreeableness traits and most PERM styles were less exclusive, but conscientiousness was associated with antisocial (-) and obsessive-compulsive styles, and openness to experience with schizotypal and dependent (-) styles. Conclusions: Our study has demonstrated correlations between FFNPQ traits and PERM styles, and implies the nonverbal measure of personality traits is capable of aiding the diagnoses of personality disorders in the illiterate population. Enlarging sample size and including the illiterate might make for more stable results.

Genetic and Neuroimaging Features of Personality Disorders: State of the Art

Personality disorders often act as a common denominator for many psychiatric problems, and studies on personality disorders contribute to the etiopathology, diagnosis, and treatment of many mental disorders. In recent years, increasing evidence from various studies has shown distinctive features of personality disorders, and that from genetic and neuroimaging studies has been especially valuable. Genetic studies primarily target the genes encoding neurotransmitters and enzymes in the serotoninergic and dopaminergic systems, and neuroimaging studies mainly focus on the frontal and temporal lobes as well as the limbic-paralimbic system in patients with personality disorders. Although some studies have suffered due to unclear diagnoses of personality disorders and some have included few patients for a given personality disorder, great opportunities remain for investigators to launch new ideas and technologies in the field.

Electrocardiographic and Electrooculographic Responses to External Emotions and Their Transitions in Bipolar I and II Disorders

Bipolar disorder has two main types, bipolar I (BD I) and II (BD II), which present different affective states and personality characteristics, they might present different modes of emotional regulation. We hypothesized that the electrocardiogram and electrooculogram to external emotions are different in BD I and BD II. We asked 69 BD I and 54 BD II patients, and 139 healthy volunteers to undergo these tests in response to disgust, erotica, fear, happiness, neutral, and sadness, and their transitions. Their affective states were also measured. The heart rate in BD I was significantly higher under background fear after target neutral. The eyeball movement was quicker in BD I under target happiness after background disgust; in BD I under target sadness after background disgust; and in BD I under background disgust after target neutral. Some electrocardiographic and electrooculographic changes were correlated with affective states in patients. BD I and BD II had different physiological responses to external emotions and their transitions, indicating different pathophysiologies and suggesting different emotional-therapies for BD I and BD II.

Nightmare experience in bipolar I and II disorders.

Some patients with bipolar disorder have traumatic experience, sleep disturbance, and emotional variations, which are related to nightmare reports in clinics. We hypothesized that the nightmare experience might present some uniqueness in different types of bipolar disorder. We invited 200 healthy volunteers and 141 bipolar disorder I (BD I) and 78 bipolar disorder II (BD II) patients who had at least one nightmare lifelong to undergo tests of the Nightmare Experience Questionnaire (NEQ) and the questionnaires measuring mania, hypomania, and depression. Compared with healthy controls, both BD I and BD II patients displayed their abnormal affective states and scored significantly higher on NEQ Meaning Interpretation; BD I patients, in addition, scored higher on NEQ Horrible Stimulation. Hypomania was correlated with Horrible Simulation in BD II patients, and depression was correlated with Physical Effect and Horrible Stimulation in healthy controls. We found some NEQ scales were elevated in bipolar disorder, but these abnormalities failed to differentiate BD I from BD II. However, these results help explain the cognitive and emotional disturbances of bipolar disorder in general.

P376 Multiple physiological measures under external-erotic stimulation delineate bipolar I and II disorders

Objectives More evidence are needed to separate bipolar disorder types I (BDI) and II (BD II). Characterizing the physiological responses to external-emotional stimuli mediated through cortical to brainstem circuit might help to delineate BD I and BD II. Methods We have invited 38 BD I, 22 BD II and 38 healthy volunteers (controls), to undergo tests of electrooculogram, electromyogram, skin conductance and electrocardiogram under six situational emotional-scenes of pictures and sounds (Disgust, Erotica, Fear, Happiness, Neutral, and Sadness), and their interchanges between background and target presenting orders. We also measured the on-going affective states of these participants. Results BD I displayed an increased electooculographic activity than BD II did when target Happiness, Neutral and Sadness were presented against the background Erotica. BD II displayed a decreased electromyographic activity than the healthy controls did when target Erotica was presented against background Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Neutral, and Sadness. Moreover, these alterations in patients were not related to their on-going affective states. Conclusion BD I displayed stronger ocular activity, and BD II displayed weaker muscle activity when responded the situational sexual stimuli. Significance Our study indicates different subtypes of bipolar disorder respond different to external-erotic stimulation, which might be their different endophenotypic markers.

Hypnotic susceptibility and affective states in bipolar I and II disorders

BackgroundHighly hypnotizable individuals have impaired executive function, elevated motor impulsivity and increased emotional sensitivity, which are sometimes found in bipolar disorder patients. It is then reasonable to assume that certain aspects of hypnotic susceptibility differ with the types of bipolar disorder.MethodsThe Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS:C) test, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the Hypomanic Checklist-32 (HCL-32) and the Plutchick-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP) were applied to 62 patients with bipolar I disorder, 33 bipolar II disorder, and 120 healthy volunteers.ResultsThe passing rate of the SHSS:C ‘Moving hands apart’ item was higher in bipolar I patients than in controls, whereas for ‘Mosquito hallucination’ the rate was lower. Bipolar I and II patients scored significantly higher on MDQ, HCL-32 and PVP scales than controls. The passing rates of ‘Mosquito hallucination’ in controls, ‘Arm rigidity’ in bipolar I, and ‘Age regression’ in bipolar II predicted the respective MDQ scores.ConclusionIn contrast to cognitive suggestions, bipolar I patients followed motor suggestions more often under hypnosis. Furthermore, both bipolar disorder patients and healthy volunteers demonstrated associations between mania levels and certain hypnotic susceptibility features. Our study aids in better understanding the altered conscious states in bipolar disorders, and encourages the use of related psychotherapy for these patients.

Waking‐hour cerebral activations in nightmare disorder: A resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

The purpose of the current study was to explore the cerebral areas involved in nightmare disorder.

Waking‐hour cerebral activations in nightmare disorder: a resting‐state fMRI study

The purpose of the current study was to explore the cerebral areas involved in nightmare disorder.

Predicting personality disorder functioning styles by the Chinese Adjective Descriptors of Personality: a preliminary trial in healthy people and personality disorder patients

BackgroundCultural and personality factors might contribute to the clinical differences of psychiatric patients all over the world including China. One cultural oriented Chinese Adjective Descriptors of Personality (CADP) designed to measure normal personality traits, might be specifically associated with different personality disorder functioning styles.MethodsWe therefore have invited 201 healthy volunteers and 67 personality disorder patients to undergo CADP, the Parker Personality Measure (PERM), and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP) tests.ResultsPatients scored significantly higher on PVP scale and all 11 PERM personality disorder functioning styles, as well as CADP Emotional and Unsocial traits. The PVP was significantly correlated with some CADP traits and PERM styles in both groups. In healthy volunteers, only one CADP trait, Unsocial, prominently predicted 11 PERM styles. By contrast in patients, CADP Intelligent predicted the PERM Narcissistic and Passive-Aggressive styles; CADP Emotional the PERM Paranoid, Borderline, and Histrionic styles; CADP Conscientious the PERM Obsessive-Compulsive style; CADP Unsocial the PERM Schizotypal, Antisocial, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent, and Passive-Aggressive styles; CADP Agreeable the PERM Antisocial style.ConclusionAs a preliminary study, our results demonstrated that, in personality disorder patients, all five CADP traits were specifically associated with almost all 11 personality disorder functioning styles, indicating that CADP might be used as an aid to diagnose personality disorders in China.