Zhong Ning

Emotional Experience and the Mood-Congruent Working Memory Effect inFirst-Onset and Untreated Depressive Disorder Patients

Using an improved Sternberg working memory paradigm and affective pictures of different valences, this study investigates the emotional experience capability of 22 first-onset and untreated major depressive disorder patients (MDD) compared with the matching 22 healthy control participants (HC) and whether there is a moodcongruent working memory effect. We employed a general linear model analysis of variance (ANOVA) with two-factor repeated measures analysis on the emotional experience capability (pupil diameter changes) and the working memory performance (accuracy). The results show that the pupil diameter changes of positive emotions are significantly greater in MDD than those in HC (p<0.001), and the pupil diameter changes of negative emotions are not significantly different between two groups (p=0.055), which suggest that MDD have a significantly decrease in the ability to experience pleasure (anhedonia). In addition, the results only present that the working memory performances of negative emotions are significantly greater in MDD than those of positive emotions (p<0.05), which indicates that there is a mood-congruent memory effect. Moreover, in MDD, a positive correlation is found between the pupil diameter changes and working memory performances of positive emotions, however there is no correlation between those of negative emotions. Taken together, these results suggest that MDD have a moodcongruent memory effect and anhedonia, and the mood-congruent memory effect may be due to the decreased memory performances of positive emotions (a decrease in the ability to experience pleasure), but not those of negative emotions increased. This study not only illustrates that the core symptoms of depressive patients may be a mood-congruent memory effect and anhedonia but also enriches the connotation of anhedonia as an endophenotype indicator.

An Analysis of Correlation Between Asymmetry of α Wave and Cognitive Behavior in Depression

Resting state brain waves of depression showed left-right asymmetry, which may be related to the strengthening of the right side of the brain. A typical cognitive disorder of depression is negative bias, especially outside information related to self, the phenomenon is more obvious. Recent studies have indicated that brain activity in resting state may reflect the intrinsic and essential function of brain function, and it is the foundation of cognitive activity. However, there was few study shew that left-right asymmetry about depression in resting state and whether the alpha wave is the foundation of negative bias. To Explore the relationship between asymmetry of α wave and cognitive behavior, we collected the EEG data behavior data in depressed people and healthy people. And analyzed the correlation between EEG data and behavior data in both depressed group and healthy group. The Result th was that a strong correlation between the self cognitive effects of the patient group and the self cognitive effects of the positive emotion and the left and right asymmetry of the resting EEG data. While the correlation between the self cognitive effects of control group were not related. These results further verify the relationship between the brain activity in resting state and cognitive activity, and it also reflects the relationship between the asymmetry of the alpha wave and the neural activity in the process of depression.