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Zheng Y, Tang R, Xue L, Wang Z, Shi P. Attention modulates facial expression processing in subsyndromal depression: A behavioral and ERP study. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 201:112359. [PMID: 38714215 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Impaired facial expression perception is a core element in depression, but the underlying mechanism remains controversial. This event-related potential study investigated how attention modulates facial expression perception in depression using a nonclinical sample. A group of healthy controls (HC, N = 39) and a group of individuals with subsyndromal depression (SD, N = 39) categorized faces based on either facial expression (happy vs. sad) or gender (male vs. female). Behaviorally, the SD group was less sensitive to the emotional valence of facial expression than the HC group when their attention was directed to facial expression, as revealed by comparable subjective ratings and accuracy rates in response to facial expressions. When attention was directed towards facial gender, the SD group versus the HC group showed a negative bias, as revealed by a faster N170 for sad faces than happy faces. Together, our findings suggest that attention plays a role in understanding the relationship between depression and facial expression perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Rumeng Tang
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Linkai Xue
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Zhaoyi Wang
- Department of Sleeping Disorder, Dalian Seventh People's Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Puyu Shi
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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2
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Schindler S, Bruchmann M, Straube T. Beyond facial expressions: A systematic review on effects of emotional relevance of faces on the N170. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105399. [PMID: 37734698 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The N170 is the most prominent electrophysiological signature of face processing. While facial expressions reliably modulate the N170, there is considerable variance in N170 modulations by other sources of emotional relevance. Therefore, we systematically review and discuss this research area using different methods to manipulate the emotional relevance of inherently neutral faces. These methods were categorized into (1) existing pre-experimental affective person knowledge (e.g., negative attitudes towards outgroup faces), (2) experimentally instructed affective person knowledge (e.g., negative person information), (3) contingency-based affective learning (e.g., fear-conditioning), or (4) the immediate affective context (e.g., emotional information directly preceding the face presentation). For all categories except the immediate affective context category, the majority of studies reported significantly increased N170 amplitudes depending on the emotional relevance of faces. Furthermore, the potentiated N170 was observed across different attention conditions, supporting the role of the emotional relevance of faces on the early prioritized processing of configural facial information, regardless of low-level differences. However, we identified several open research questions and suggest venues for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schindler
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany.
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
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3
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Qiu Z, Becker SI, Xia H, Hamblin-Frohman Z, Pegna AJ. Fixation-related electrical potentials during a free visual search task reveal the timing of visual awareness. iScience 2023; 26:107148. [PMID: 37408689 PMCID: PMC10319232 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been repeatedly claimed that emotional faces readily capture attention, and that they may be processed without awareness. Yet some observations cast doubt on these assertions. Part of the problem may lie in the experimental paradigms employed. Here, we used a free viewing visual search task during electroencephalographic recordings, where participants searched for either fearful or neutral facial expressions among distractor expressions. Fixation-related potentials were computed for fearful and neutral targets and the response compared for stimuli consciously reported or not. We showed that awareness was associated with an electrophysiological negativity starting at around 110 ms, while emotional expressions were distinguished on the N170 and early posterior negativity only when stimuli were consciously reported. These results suggest that during unconstrained visual search, the earliest electrical correlate of awareness may emerge as early as 110 ms, and fixating at an emotional face without reporting it may not produce any unconscious processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeguo Qiu
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Stefanie I. Becker
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Hongfeng Xia
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | | | - Alan J. Pegna
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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4
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Qiu Z, Jiang J, Becker SI, Pegna AJ. Attentional capture by fearful faces requires consciousness and is modulated by task-relevancy: A dot-probe EEG study. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1152220. [PMID: 37034154 PMCID: PMC10076762 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1152220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In the current EEG study, we used a dot-probe task in conjunction with backward masking to examine the neural activity underlying awareness and spatial processing of fearful faces and the neural processes for subsequent cued spatial targets. We presented face images under different viewing conditions (subliminal and supraliminal) and manipulated the relation between a fearful face in the pair and a subsequent target. Our mass univariate analysis showed that fearful faces elicit the N2-posterior-contralateral, indexing spatial attention capture, only when they are presented supraliminally. Consistent with this, the multivariate pattern analysis revealed a successful decoding of the location of the fearful face only in the supraliminal viewing condition. Additionally, the spatial attention capture by fearful faces modulated the processing of subsequent lateralised targets that were spatially congruent with the fearful face, in both al and electrophysiological data. There was no evidence for nonconscious processing of the fearful faces in the current paradigm. We conclude that spatial attentional capture by fearful faces requires visual awareness and it is modulated by top-down task demands.
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Fernández-Folgueiras U, Hernández-Lorca M, Méndez-Bértolo C, Álvarez F, Giménez-Fernández T, Carretié L. Exogenous Attention to Emotional Stimuli Presenting Realistic (3D) Looming Motion. Brain Topogr 2022; 35:599-612. [PMID: 35933532 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-022-00909-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous research shows that dynamic stimuli, on the one hand, and emotional stimuli, on the other, capture exogenous attention due to their biological relevance. Through neural (ERPs) and behavioral measures (reaction times and errors), the present study explored the combined effect of looming motion and emotional content on attentional capture. To this end, 3D-recreated static and dynamic animals assessed as emotional (positive or negative) or neutral were presented as distractors while 71 volunteers performed a line orientation task. We observed a two-phase effect: firstly (before 300 ms), early components of ERPs (P1p and N2po) showed enhanced exogenous attentional capture by looming positive distractors and static threatening animals. Thereafter, dynamic and static threatening distractors received enhanced endogenous attention as revealed by both late ERP activity (LPC) and behavioral (errors) responses. These effects are likely explained by both the emotional valence and the distance of the stimulus at each moment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uxía Fernández-Folgueiras
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Ivan Pavlov 6, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - María Hernández-Lorca
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Ivan Pavlov 6, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Constantino Méndez-Bértolo
- Departamento de Psicología. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de Cádiz, Calle de la República Saharaui 12, 11519, Cádiz, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Cádiz (INIBICA), Avenida Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Fátima Álvarez
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Ivan Pavlov 6, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tamara Giménez-Fernández
- Departamento de Psicología Básica, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Ivan Pavlov 6, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Carretié
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Ivan Pavlov 6, 28049, Madrid, Spain
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6
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The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12070823. [PMID: 35884630 PMCID: PMC9313043 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12070823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous research on the relationship between attention and emotion processing have focused essentially on consciously-viewed, supraliminal stimuli, while the attention-emotion interplay remains unexplored in situations where visual awareness is restricted. Here, we presented participants with face pairs in a backward masking paradigm and examined the electrophysiological activity in response to fearful and neutral expressions under different conditions of attention (spatially attended vs. unattended) and stimulus visibility (subliminal vs. supraliminal). We found an enhanced N2 (visual awareness negativity -VAN-) and an enhanced P3 for supraliminal compared to subliminal faces. The VAN, indexing the early perceptual awareness, was enhanced when the faces were spatially attended compared to when they were unattended, showing that the VAN does not require spatial attention focus but can be enhanced by it. Fearful relative to neutral expressions enhanced the early neural activity (N2) regardless of spatial attention but only in the supraliminal viewing condition. However, fear-related enhancements on later neural activity (P3) were found when stimuli were both attended and presented supraliminally. These findings suggest that visual awareness is needed for emotion processing during both early and late stages. Spatial attention is required for emotion processing at the later stage but not at the early stage.
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Qiu Z, Lei X, Becker SI, Pegna AJ. Neural activities during the Processing of unattended and unseen emotional faces: a voxel-wise Meta-analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:2426-2443. [PMID: 35739373 PMCID: PMC9581832 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00697-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Voxel-wise meta-analyses of task-evoked regional activity were conducted for healthy individuals during the unconscious processing of emotional and neutral faces with an aim to examine whether and how different experimental paradigms influenced brain activation patterns. Studies were categorized into sensory and attentional unawareness paradigms. Thirty-four fMRI studies including 883 healthy participants were identified. Across experimental paradigms, unaware emotional faces elicited stronger activation of the limbic system, striatum, inferior frontal gyrus, insula and the temporal lobe, compared to unaware neutral faces. Crucially, in attentional unawareness paradigms, unattended emotional faces elicited a right-lateralized increased activation (i.e., right amygdala, right temporal pole), suggesting a right hemisphere dominance for processing emotional faces during inattention. By contrast, in sensory unawareness paradigms, unseen emotional faces elicited increased activation of the left striatum, the left amygdala and the right middle temporal gyrus. Additionally, across paradigms, unconsciously processed positive emotions were found associated with more activation in temporal and parietal cortices whereas unconsciously processed negative emotions elicited stronger activation in subcortical regions, compared to neutral faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeguo Qiu
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.
| | - Xue Lei
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Stefanie I Becker
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Alan J Pegna
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
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8
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Carretié L, Fernández-Folgueiras U, Álvarez F, Cipriani GA, Tapia M, Kessel D. Fast Unconscious Processing of Emotional Stimuli in Early Stages of the Visual Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4331-4344. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Several cortical and subcortical brain areas have been reported to be sensitive to the emotional content of subliminal stimuli. However, the timing of these activations remains unclear. Our scope was to detect the earliest cortical traces of emotional unconscious processing of visual stimuli by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) from 43 participants. Subliminal spiders (emotional) and wheels (neutral), sharing similar low-level visual parameters, were presented at two different locations (fixation and periphery). The differential (peak-to-peak) amplitude from CP1 (77 ms from stimulus onset) to C2 (100 ms), two early visual ERP components originated in V1/V2 according to source localization analyses, was analyzed via Bayesian and traditional frequentist analyses. Spiders elicited greater CP1–C2 amplitudes than wheels when presented at fixation. This fast effect of subliminal stimulation—not reported previously to the best of our knowledge—has implications in several debates: 1) The amygdala cannot be mediating these effects, 2) latency of other evaluative structures recently proposed, such as the visual thalamus, is compatible with these results, 3) the absence of peripheral stimuli effects points to a relevant role of the parvocellular visual system in unconscious processing.
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Chilver MR, Park HRP, Schofield PR, Clark CR, Williams LM, Gatt JM. Emotional face processing correlates with depression/anxiety symptoms but not wellbeing in non-clinical adults: An event-related potential study. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 145:18-26. [PMID: 34844048 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Whilst alterations in emotional face processing, as indicated by event-related potentials (ERPs), are associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in clinical and non-clinical samples, it has remained unclear whether they are related to mental wellbeing. The current study aimed to address this question in a non-clinical sample. The analysis included 402 adult twins from the TWIN-E study. The COMPAS-W and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42) were used to measure mental wellbeing and depression/anxiety symptoms, respectively. Participants viewed facial expressions under Unmasked (conscious) and Masked (subliminal) conditions while ERPs were recorded. The associations of emotion processing with mental wellbeing and depression/anxiety symptoms were assessed using multivariate linear mixed models. There was a strong association between depression/anxiety symptoms and the N170 amplitude difference for the Fear - Happy contrast in the Masked condition after controlling for wellbeing scores (B = 0.34, p < .001). Specifically, higher depression/anxiety symptoms were associated with a lack of differentiation between fearful and happy faces. No associations were found between emotional face processing and mental wellbeing scores. These results indicate that even within a non-clinical sample, alterations in emotional ERPs, namely the N170, reflect differences in depression/anxiety symptoms rather than differences in wellbeing. Furthermore, this effect was limited to automatic processing, rather than conscious processing of emotional stimuli, suggesting the observed differences apply only to the subconscious pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda R Chilver
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, 2031, Australia; School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Haeme R P Park
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, 2031, Australia; School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Peter R Schofield
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, 2031, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - C Richard Clark
- College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia, 5042
| | - Leanne M Williams
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5717, USA; Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers VISN21, Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care System, California, 94304-151-Y, USA
| | - Justine M Gatt
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, 2031, Australia; School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia.
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Żochowska A, Nowicka MM, Wójcik MJ, Nowicka A. Self-face and emotional faces-are they alike? Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:593-607. [PMID: 33595078 PMCID: PMC8218856 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The image of one’s own face is a particularly distinctive feature of the self. The
self-face differs from other faces not only in respect of its familiarity but also in
respect of its subjective emotional significance and saliency. The current study aimed at
elucidating similarities/dissimilarities between processing of one’s own face and
emotional faces: happy faces (based on the self-positive bias) and fearful faces (because
of their high perceptual saliency, a feature shared with self-face). Electroencephalogram
data were collected in the group of 30 participants who performed a simple detection task.
Event-related potential analyses indicated significantly increased P3 and late positive
potential amplitudes to the self-face in comparison to all other faces: fearful, happy and
neutral. Permutation tests confirmed the differences between the self-face and all three
types of other faces for numerous electrode sites and in broad time windows.
Representational similarity analysis, in turn, revealed distinct processing of the
self-face and did not provide any evidence in favour of similarities between the self-face
and emotional (either negative or positive) faces. These findings strongly suggest that
the self-face processing do not resemble those of emotional faces, thus implying that
prioritized self-referential processing is driven by the subjective relevance of one’s own
face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Żochowska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences,voivodeship mazowieckie,Warsaw 02-093, Poland
| | - Maria M Nowicka
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences,voivodeship mazowieckie,Warsaw 02-093, Poland
| | - Michał J Wójcik
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford,Oxfordshire, Oxford OX2 6GG,UK
| | - Anna Nowicka
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences,voivodeship mazowieckie,Warsaw 02-093, Poland
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Tanaka M, Yamada E, Maekawa T, Ogata K, Takamiya N, Nakazono H, Tobimatsu S. Gender differences in subliminal affective face priming: A high-density ERP study. Brain Behav 2021; 11:e02060. [PMID: 33528111 PMCID: PMC8035456 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Subliminal affective priming effects (SAPEs) refer to the phenomenon by which the presentation of an affective prime stimulus influences the subsequent affective evaluation of a target stimulus. Previous studies have reported that unconsciously processed stimuli affect behavioral performance more than consciously processed stimuli. However, the impact of SAPEs on the face-specific N170 component is unclear. We studied how SAPEs for fearful faces affected the N170 for subsequent supraliminal target faces using event-related potentials (ERPs). METHODS Japanese adults (n = 44, 20 females) participated in this study. Subliminal prime faces (neutral or fearful) were presented for 17 ms, followed by a backward mask for 283 ms and 800 ms target faces (neutral, emotionally ambiguous, or fearful). 128-channel ERPs were recorded while participants judged the expression of target faces as neutral or fearful. Response rates and response times were also measured for assessing behavioral alterations. RESULTS Although the behavioral results revealed no evidence of SAPEs, we found gender-related SAPEs in right N170 amplitude. Specifically, female participants exhibited enhanced right N170 amplitude for emotionally neutral faces primed by fearful faces, while male participants exhibited decreased N170 amplitude in fearful prime trials with fearful target faces. Male participants exhibited significant correlations between N170 amplitude and behavioral response time in the fearful prime-neutral target condition. CONCLUSIONS Our ERP results suggest the existence of a gender difference in target-face processing preceded by subliminally presented face stimuli in the right occipito-temporal region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mutsuhide Tanaka
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Science, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Japan
| | - Emi Yamada
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Maekawa
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Katsuya Ogata
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Naomi Takamiya
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hisato Nakazono
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shozo Tobimatsu
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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12
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How ubiquitous is the direct-gaze advantage? Evidence for an averted-gaze advantage in a gaze-discrimination task. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 83:215-237. [PMID: 33135097 PMCID: PMC7875945 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-02147-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Human eye gaze conveys an enormous amount of socially relevant information, and the rapid assessment of gaze direction is of particular relevance in order to adapt behavior accordingly. Specifically, previous research demonstrated evidence for an advantage of processing direct (vs. averted) gaze. The present study examined discrimination performance for gaze direction (direct vs. averted) under controlled presentation conditions: Using a backward-masking gaze-discrimination task, photographs of faces with direct and averted gaze were briefly presented, followed by a mask stimulus. Additionally, effects of facial context on gaze discrimination were assessed by either presenting gaze direction in isolation (i.e., by only showing the eye region) or in the context of an upright or inverted face. Across three experiments, we consistently observed a facial context effect with highest discrimination performance for faces presented in upright position, lower performance for inverted faces, and lowest performance for eyes presented in isolation. Additionally, averted gaze was generally responded to faster and with higher accuracy than direct gaze, indicating an averted-gaze advantage. Overall, the results suggest that direct gaze is not generally associated with processing advantages, thereby highlighting the important role of presentation conditions and task demands in gaze perception.
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13
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Torrence RD, Rojas DC, Troup LJ. Awareness of Emotional Expressions in Cannabis Users: An Event-Related Potential Study. Front Psychol 2019; 10:69. [PMID: 30774608 PMCID: PMC6367265 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cannabis use has been associated with anxiogenic effects when used in low frequency for a short duration, but cannabis can also have anxiogenic effects when used heavily for a long duration. Animal studies have indicated the neurobiological mechanisms related to cannabis and anxiety; however, research has been limited on the related neurocognitive mechanisms. Previous research has indicated that cannabis use is associated with alterations in event-related potentials (ERPs). The purpose of the current study was to examine anxiety related attentional processing of emotional expressions using ERP methods. We used a backward masking paradigm to restrict awareness of facial expressions (i.e., fearful, happy, and neutral). The results indicated that cannabis use was associated with differences in emotional processing. Specifically, the results suggested cannabis users had increased P1 amplitudes toward happy facial expressions compared to fearful and neutral. Additionally, cannabis users seemed to have reduced N170 hemisphere lateralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Torrence
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Donald C Rojas
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Lucy J Troup
- Strategic Hub for Psychology, Social Work, Health Behaviours and Addictions, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, Scotland
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14
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Berkovitch L, Del Cul A, Maheu M, Dehaene S. Impaired conscious access and abnormal attentional amplification in schizophrenia. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 18:835-848. [PMID: 29876269 PMCID: PMC5988039 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that the conscious perception of a masked stimulus is impaired in schizophrenia, while unconscious bottom-up processing of the same stimulus, as assessed by subliminal priming, can be preserved. Here, we test this postulated dissociation between intact bottom-up and impaired top-down processing and evaluate its brain mechanisms using high-density recordings of event-related potentials. Sixteen patients with schizophrenia and sixteen controls were exposed to peripheral digits with various degrees of visibility, under conditions of either focused attention or distraction by another task. In the distraction condition, the brain activity evoked by masked digits was drastically reduced in both groups, but early bottom-up visual activation could still be detected and did not differ between patients and controls. By contrast, under focused top-down attention, a major impairment was observed: in patients, contrary to controls, the late non-linear ignition associated with the P3 component was reduced. Interestingly, the patients showed an essentially normal attentional amplification of the P1 and N2 components. These results suggest that some but not all top-down attentional amplification processes are impaired in schizophrenia, while bottom-up processing seems to be preserved. An elevated consciousness threshold is observed in schizophrenia. Under unattended conditions, brain activity was similarly reduced in schizophrenic patients and controls. Under attended conditions, the late ignition associated with the P3 component is impaired in patients. In schizophrenia, top-down attentional amplification is abnormal while bottom-up processing is essentially spared.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Berkovitch
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IFD, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
| | - A Del Cul
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Psychiatrie d'Adultes, 75013 Paris, France; Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle (ICM), Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75013 Paris, France
| | - M Maheu
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France
| | - S Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
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Wierzchoń M, Wronka E, Paulewicz B, Szczepanowski R. Post-Decision Wagering Affects Metacognitive Awareness of Emotional Stimuli: An Event Related Potential Study. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159516. [PMID: 27490816 PMCID: PMC4973871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The present research investigated metacognitive awareness of emotional stimuli and its psychophysiological correlates. We used a backward masking task presenting participants with fearful or neutral faces. We asked participants for face discrimination and then probed their metacognitive awareness with confidence rating (CR) and post-decision wagering (PDW) scales. We also analysed psychophysiological correlates of awareness with event-related potential (ERP) components: P1, N170, early posterior negativity (EPN), and P3. We have not observed any differences between PDW and CR conditions in the emotion identification task. However, the "aware" ratings were associated with increased accuracy performance. This effect was more pronounced in PDW, especially for fearful faces, suggesting that emotional stimuli awareness may be enhanced by monetary incentives. EEG analysis showed larger N170, EPN and P3 amplitudes in aware compared to unaware trials. It also appeared that both EPN and P3 ERP components were more pronounced in the PDW condition, especially when emotional faces were presented. Taken together, our ERP findings suggest that metacognitive awareness of emotional stimuli depends on the effectiveness of both early and late visual information processing. Our study also indicates that awareness of emotional stimuli can be enhanced by the motivation induced by wagering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Wierzchoń
- Consciousness Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Eligiusz Wronka
- Psychophysiology Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Borysław Paulewicz
- SWPS University of Social Science and Humanities, Faculty in Katowice, Poland
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