Wanzhen Chen

Mismatch negativity in treatment-resistant depression and borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE Cognitive dysfunctions, such as attentional impairment, are central features of both treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). The treatment failure of TRD due to its comorbidity with BPD is debated in the literature. The mismatch negativity (MMN) of the event-related potentials provides an objective marker of involuntary stimulus selective processing, which might help shed light on this issue and provide an avenue for investigating a possible endophenotypic marker for TRD. METHOD We investigated MMN in 22 patients with TRD, 19 with BPD, and 22 with TRD cormorbid with BPD (TRD+BPD), as well as in 32 healthy volunteers, by employing an acoustic frequency deviance paradigm. In addition, we measured the depressive mood using the Plutchik-van Praag (PVP) depression inventory. RESULTS There was no significant between-group difference for the N1 latencies/amplitudes, both to the standard and deviant stimuli, and no significant between-group difference for MMN latencies. However, MMN amplitudes were higher in the TRD group than those in the other three groups. PVP scores were highest in TRD+BPD, then TRD, BPD patients, and lowest in healthy subjects. The higher MMN was not correlated with PVP score, nor with the duration of life-long depression, which can be considered as a neurophysiological marker for TRD. CONCLUSION An atypical lack of inhibition on the irrelevant stimuli or increased cortical neuronal activity, especially frontal area, or both, might be responsible for the finding.

The Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire predicts functioning styles of personality disorder: A trial in healthy subjects and personality-disorder patients

Normal personality traits, as measured by the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ), predicted some personality disorders in a sample of healthy volunteers. Whether these predictions could be more pronounced in patients with personality disorders remains unknown. We administered the ZKPQ and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM), which describes the functioning styles of personality disorder, in 134 patients with a range of personality disorders and in 268 age-, gender- and education level-matched healthy volunteers. Cluster A patients scored lowest on Sociability, cluster B highest on Impulsive Sensation Seeking and Aggression-Hostility, cluster C1 (Avoidant and Dependent types) highest on Neuroticism-Anxiety, and cluster C2 (Obsessive-Compulsive type) highest on Activity. Most of the predictors were consistent across both the healthy and patient groups. The variances that accounted for predicting most PERM styles by the ZKPQ traits in the patient group were higher than those in the healthy group. Our results showed that the ZKPQ traits could specifically predict the PERM styles in both healthy subjects and personality-disorder patients. This result was more pronounced in the latter group. The most powerful predictions were obtained for Antisocial, Dependent, Borderline and Avoidant styles, and the weakest for the Schizotypal and Schizoid styles in the patient group.

Recognition of facial emotion and perceived parental bonding styles in healthy volunteers and personality disorder patients

Aims:  Early parental bonding experiences play a role in emotion recognition and expression in later adulthood, and patients with personality disorder frequently experience inappropriate parental bonding styles, therefore the aim of the present study was to explore whether parental bonding style is correlated with recognition of facial emotion in personality disorder patients.

Further evidence for the fifth higher trait of personality pathology: A correlation study using normal and disordered personality measures

Studies between disordered personality and the Big-Five or the Alternative Five-Factor model of normal personality have consistently shown four higher traits. The fifth higher trait, relating to Openness to Experience or Impulsive Sensation Seeking was less supported. The culture-free Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire (NPQ) might help us to characterise the fifth higher trait. We therefore tried the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology (DAPP), the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R), the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the NPQ in 253 healthy participants. Our results yielded five factors, four of which resembled the previous ones. The fifth one, namely Peculiarity Seeking, was defined by NPQ and NEO-PI-R Openness to Experience, ZKPQ Impulsive Sensation Seeking and DAPP Stimulus Seeking. Whether the fifth factor is linked to the schizotypal personality disorder as proposed remains unanswered.

Facial emotion triggered cerebral potentials in treatment-resistant depression and borderline personality disorder patients of both genders.

BACKGROUND Processing facial expressions of emotion is deteriorated in depression, which might be more pronounced in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), especially when the latter is comorbid with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Neurophysiologically, both early perceptual and late cognitive cerebral processes of facial emotions can be illustrated by event-related potentials (ERPs). METHODS We therefore tried the ERPs to facial expressions of Neutral, Anger, Happiness, and Sadness in 25 patients with TRD, 15 with BPD, 22 with their comorbidity (TRD+BPD), as well as in 37 healthy volunteers. The depression levels of participants were measured with the Plutchik-van Praag Depressive Inventory (PVP). RESULTS There was no group difference regarding either N1 (N170), P2, N2, P3a or P3b latency or amplitude to the four facial emotions. Reaction times (RTs) to Anger (p<.01), Happiness (p<.01), and Sadness (p<.001) in TRD, and those to Anger (p<.01) and Happiness (p<.01) in TRD+BPD patients were longer than those in the healthy volunteers. RTs to the four facial expressions were positively correlated (p<.01) with their depressive moods in all participants. In addition, PVP was positively correlated with the P2 latency to Anger in TRD+BPD patients (Fz, p<.01; Cz, p<.01; Pz, p<.01). CONCLUSIONS BPD contributed little to TRD or TRD+BPD regarding cerebral processing of facial emotions, however, other cognitive and behavioral data suggest a generalized impairment when responding to facial emotions in TRD and TRD+BPD patients, and a deteriorated perceptual processing of Anger in TRD+BPD patients.

Personality correlates of reporting Chinese words from the Deutsch ＂high-low＂ word illusion by Chinese-speaking people

ObjectiveWhen English-speaking people listen to the Deutsch “high-low” word illusion, they report hearing English words. Whether Chinese-speaking people report Chinese words when listening to the illusion, or whether any reported words might be correlated with personality traits as previous investigations have demonstrated for listening to music in other cultures, is open to question. The present study aimed to address this.MethodsA total of 308 right-handed, healthy volunteers (177 women and 131 men) were given the illusion test and asked to answer the Zuckerman-Kuhlman personality questionnaire (ZKPQ). Their depressive tendency was measured by the Plutchik-van Praag depression inventory (PVP).ResultsThere was no gender effect regarding either the PVP score or the number of reported Chinese words from the illusion. Women scored higher on ZKPQ neuroticism-anxiety than men. The number of meaningful Chinese words reported was correlated with the ZKPQ impulsive sensation-seeking, aggression-hostility, and activity scores. Some words reported by participants who scored higher on these three traits were related in meaning to those scales.ConclusionOur preliminary results suggest that when Chinese-speaking people listen to the Deutsch “high-low” word illusion, they might use personality-related, specific cognitive schemata.

Personality Characteristics of Male Sufferers of Chronic Tension-Type and Cervicogenic Headache

Background and Purpose Chronic tension-type headache (a primary headache disorder) and cervicogenic headache (a secondary headache disorder that is attributable to upper cervical spine pathology) share similar clinical manifestations, but their associated personality traits may differ. We evaluated the personality differences between sufferers of chronic tension-type headache and cervicogenic headache. Methods We administered the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS) to 18 patients suffering from chronic tension-type headache, 19 suffering from cervicogenic headache, and 26 healthy volunteers. Depressive trends were measured with the Plutchik-van-Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). Results Compared to healthy controls, the chronic tension-type headache group scored significantly higher on ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety and on the PVP, while the cervicogenic headache group scored significantly lower on SSS Thrill and Adventure Seeking. In addition, the total SSS score was significantly lower in the cervicogenic headache group than in both the chronic tension-type headache group and the healthy controls. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that higher scores for neuroticism-anxiety and depression were associated with chronic tension-type headache, while lower sensation-seeking scores were associated with cervicogenic headache.

Passive event-related potentials to a single tone in treatment-resistant depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder patients.

Purpose: Treatment-resistant depression is comorbid with personality or anxiety disorder; how passive attention functions in these disorders remains unknown. A single tone–elicited event-related potential P3 component (passive P3) might help to characterize the passive attention in these disorders. Methods: The passive P3 test was applied to 32 patients with treatment-resistant depression, 35 with generalized anxiety disorder, and 21 with borderline personality disorder, as well as to 31 healthy volunteers. The Zung Self-rating Depression and Anxiety Scales were used to measure the respective depression and anxiety levels in these participants. Results: All patients scored significantly higher on depression and anxiety than the healthy participants did. P3 amplitude was significantly reduced in groups with treatment-resistant depression and generalized anxiety disorder but not in the group with borderline personality disorder or healthy controls. Anxiety level was negatively correlated with P3 amplitude in healthy controls rather than in other groups. Conclusions: This study did not discriminate treatment-resistant depression and generalized anxiety disorder regarding the passive P3 but suggested that there was a generalized impairment of passive attention in these disorders.

Personality Disorder and Perceived Parenting in Chinese Students of Divorced and Intact Families

Background: Nurturing environment contributes to the personality development of young people, but how inappropriate parental bonding from biological parents influences the personality disorder functioning styles of their offspring in divorced families remains unclear. Objective: We aimed to find out the relationship between parenting styles and students’ disordered personality in divorced families. Methods: The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) were administered to 60 Chinese students from divorced family (Divorced group) and 120 controls (matched in age and gender) from intact family (Intact group). The depressive tendency of the participants was measured with the Plutchik–van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). Results: PERM borderline style was more prominent when father was perceived as secondary carer than primary carer in Divorced group. When father was perceived as secondary carer, PERM borderline style was more obvious in Divorced group than in Intact group. Maternal autonomy denial and care predicted PERM narcissistic and dependent styles in Divorced group, when mother was perceived as primary carer. In the Intact group, when mother was perceived as secondary carer, maternal care was lower than when mother was perceived as primary carer. Some parental PBI scales predicted certain PERM scales regardless of the carer order. Conclusions: The results imply that in divorced family, biological father should be more involved in young people’s daily life, and biological mother should show more care and less autonomy denial. In intact family, more care, less freedom control, and less autonomy denial from both parents are important in the personality development of their offspring.

EEG theta power and coherence to octave illusion in first-episode paranoid schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations.

Background: The exact mechanism behind auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia remains unknown. A corollary discharge dysfunction hypothesis has been put forward, but it requires further confirmation. Electroencephalography (EEG) of the Deutsch octave illusion might offer more insight, by demonstrating an abnormal cerebral activation similar to that under auditory hallucinations in schizophrenic patients. Methods: We invited 23 first-episode schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations and 23 healthy participants to listen to silence and two sound sequences, which consisted of alternating 400- and 800-Hz tones. EEG spectral power and coherence values of different frequency bands, including theta rhythm (3.5-7.5 Hz), were computed using 32 scalp electrodes. Task-related spectral power changes and task-related coherence differences were also calculated. Clinical characteristics of patients were rated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Results: After both sequences of octave illusion, the task-related theta power change values of frontal and temporal areas were significantly lower, and the task-related theta coherence difference values of intrahemispheric frontal-temporal areas were significantly higher in schizophrenic patients than in healthy participants. Moreover, the task-related power change values in both hemispheres were negatively correlated and the task-related coherence difference values in the right hemisphere were positively correlated with the hallucination score in schizophrenic patients. Limitations: We only tested the Deutsch octave illusion in primary schizophrenic patients with acute first episode. Further studies might adopt other illusions or employ other forms of schizophrenia. Conclusion: Our results showed a lower activation but higher connection within frontal and temporal areas in schizophrenic patients under octave illusion. This suggests an oversynchronized but weak frontal area to exert an action to the ipsilateral temporal area, which supports the corollary discharge dysfunction hypothesis.