Infants of mothers with depressive symptoms: Electroencephalographic and behavioral findings related to attachment status

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Dawson ◽  
Laura Grofer Klinger ◽  
Heracles Panagiotides ◽  
Susan Spieker ◽  
Karin Frey
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Frontal Region ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Frontal Activity ◽  
The Right

AbstractEvidence suggests that the left frontal region is specialized for the expression of positive emotions, such as joy, whereas the right frontal region is specialized for certain negative emotions, such as distress. We previously reported that infants of mothers with depressive symptoms exhibited atypical patterns of frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. We now extend these findings by examining the combined influence of maternal depression and attachment security on the infant's behavior and brain activity. Participants were 26 infants, 11–17 months of age, and their mothers. Twelve mothers reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms. Attachment behavior was observed in the traditional Strange Situation. While left and right, frontal and parietal EEG was recorded, infants were exposed to a baseline and three emotion-eliciting conditions (play with mother, stranger approach, maternal separation). During baseline and the condition designed to elicit positive emotion (play with mother), securely attached infants of symptomatic mothers exhibited reduced left frontal brain activity, compared to securely attached infants of nonsymptomatic mothers. During maternal separation, the most robust finding was that infants of symptomatic mothers, regardless of their attachment classification, exhibited reduced right frontal activity and lower levels of behavioral distress. The results suggest that both the mother's emotional well-being and her attachment relationship with her infant can influence infant frontal brain activity and affective behavior.

scholarly journals Altruistic behaviors relieve physical pain

2019 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 950-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yilu Wang ◽  
Jianqiao Ge ◽  
Hanqi Zhang ◽  
Haixia Wang ◽  
Xiaofei Xie
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Altruistic Behavior ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Painful Shock ◽  
The Right

Engaging in altruistic behaviors is costly, but it contributes to the health and well-being of the performer of such behaviors. The present research offers a take on how this paradox can be understood. Across 2 pilot studies and 3 experiments, we showed a pain-relieving effect of performing altruistic behaviors. Acting altruistically relieved not only acutely induced physical pain among healthy adults but also chronic pain among cancer patients. Using functional MRI, we found that after individuals performed altruistic actions brain activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insula in response to a painful shock was significantly reduced. This reduced pain-induced activation in the right insula was mediated by the neural activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), while the activation of the VMPFC was positively correlated with the performer’s experienced meaningfulness from his or her altruistic behavior. Our findings suggest that incurring personal costs to help others may buffer the performers from unpleasant conditions.

scholarly journals An Experiment on the Psychological and Physiological Effects of Skin Moisturization on Lower Legs—In Expectation of Application to Nursing Practice at Hospitals

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taichi Hitomi ◽  
Chigusa Yachi ◽  
Hajime Yamaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Relaxation Effect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Center Of Gravity ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Positive Effect

This study hypothesized that moisturizing treatment of the skin has a positive effect on psychological and physiological aspects. In this experiment, the effect of touch with moisturizer for two minutes on the lower legs was measured in terms of brain activity, heart rate, and center of gravity unrest (X axis) in 10 healthy male and female experiment participants. The Right Laterality Ratio Score decreased after treatment, suggesting a relaxation effect of the treatment. Although it was not statistically significant, a decrease was observed. Heart rate decreased after the treatment at a level of statistical significance (p < 0.01), suggesting a relaxation effect of the treatment. Center of gravity unrest (X axis) increased after the treatment with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Therefore, skin moisturizing treatment was found to be effective both psychologically and physiologically in this experiment. The finding is expected to be applied to the field of nursing to support elderly people to enhance their mental well-being and balancing ability.

scholarly journals Temperament, Character, and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: Focusing on Affect

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Garcia ◽  
Nóra Kerekes ◽  
Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén ◽  
Trevor Archer
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Adolescent Sample ◽  
Character Inventory ◽  
State Depression

Positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) are two separate systems markers of subjective well-being and measures of the state depression (low PA combined with high NA). The present study investigated differences in temperament, character, locus of control, and depressive symptoms (sleep quality, stress, and lack of energy) between affective profiles in an adolescent sample. Participants () were categorized into four affective profiles: “self-fulfilling” (high PA, low NA), “high affective” (high PA, high NA), “low affective” (low PA, low NA), and “self-destructive” (low PA, high NA). Personality was measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory and affective profiles by the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. The “self-fulfilling” profile was characterized by, compared to the other affective profiles, higher levels of sleep quality, less stress and more energy and also higher levels of persistence and a mature character (i.e., high scores in self-directedness and cooperativeness). “Self-destructive” adolescents reported higher levels of external locus of control, high scores in harm avoidance and reward dependence combined with less mature character. The results identify the importance of character maturity in well-being and suggest that depressive state can be positively influenced by promoting positive emotions which appears to be achieved by character development.

scholarly journals Imbalance between Emotionally Negative and Positive Life Events Retrieval and the Associated Asymmetry of Brain Activity

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Olga Razumnikova ◽  
Ekaterina Khoroshavtseva
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Posterior Cortex ◽  
Synchronization Effect ◽  
The Right

Sustained focusing on a negative assessment of life events can create negative background and changes in the emotional feedback to new information. In this regard, it is important to assess the balance between self-assessment of emotional memories and their reflection in brain activity. The study was aimed at exploring the brain activity using electroencephalographic (EEG) analysis in six frequency ranges from delta to beta2 during the retrieval of positive or negative emotional memory compared with the resting state. According to ANOVA results, the most informative for differentiation of emotions were the alpha2 and beta2 rhythms with greater synchronization effect for positive than for negative emotions. The memory retrieval, regardless of the valence of emotions, was accompanied by alpha1 desynchronization at the posterior cortex. Self-assessment of the memory intensity was not significantly different due to emotion valences. However, the scores of positive emotions were related positively with beta2 oscillations at the left anterior temporal site, whereas for negative emotions, at the right one. Thus, the emotional autobiographical memory is reflected by activation processes in the visual cortex and areas associated with multimodal information processing, whereas differentiation of the valence of emotions is presented by the high-frequency oscillations at the temporal cortex areas.

Frontal brain electrical activity in infants of depressed and nondepressed mothers: Relation to variations in infant behavior

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERALDINE DAWSON ◽  
KARIN FREY ◽  
JOANNA SELF ◽  
HERACLES PANAGIOTIDES ◽  
DAVID HESSL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Electrical Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Infant Temperament ◽  
Frontal Region ◽  
Infant Behavior ◽  
Brain Electrical Activity ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Approach Behaviors ◽  
Depressed Mothers

In previous studies, infants of depressed mothers have been found to exhibit reduced left frontal brain electrical activity (EEG). The left frontal region has been hypothesized to mediate social approach behaviors and positive affective expression. These findings raise important questions about the cause and nature of atypical EEG patterns in infants of depressed mothers. The present study begins to address some of these questions by examining whether or not variations in patterns of frontal brain activity in infants of depressed and nondepressed mothers are related to variations in infant behavior as observed in naturalistic situations. If such relations exist, are they specific to certain behaviors hypothesized to be mediated by the frontal region (i.e., positive approach behaviors)? Frontal and parietal brain electrical activity was recorded from 14- to 15-month old infants of depressed versus nondepressed mothers during a baseline condition and during conditions designed to elicit interest and positive affect. Infant behavior was observed in naturalistic play conditions, with and without mother, on a separate day from EEG testing. Mothers provided information on infant temperament. Infants of depressed mothers showed less affection and touching of their mothers. For infants of depressed mothers only, reduced left frontal brain activity was found to be related to lower levels of affection toward mother, but not to infant temperament. Furthermore, increased generalized frontal activation was found to be related to higher levels of negative affect, hostility, and tantrums and aggression. Relations between infant brain activity and behavior were not found for parietal EEG activity. These results suggest that infant frontal electrical brain activity is related to variations in infant behavior, especially those involved in positive affiliative behavior and the expression and regulation of negative affect. The nature and cause of atypical patterns of brain activity and question of whether such atypical patterns of frontal brain activity predispose infants to affective disorders in later life are discussed.

scholarly journals EXPLORING TEACHERS' RESILIENCE IN INDONESIAN EFL LEARNING CONTEXTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Kristian Florensio Wijaya
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
The Right ◽  
Brighter Future ◽  
Full Activation

To promote more holistic, pleasurable, and meaningful ELT enterprises requires specific durable psychological characteristics from EFL teachers in terms of positive emotions, well-being, robust motivation, and resilience. The ultimate psychological stream is noted as one of the paramount factors embodying brighter future educational outlooks since the majority of prior studies revealed that a higher degree of resilience would enable EFL teachers to cultivate stronger dedication, tenacity, and commitment in leading their pupils to reach the targeted learning outcomes fully. In consonance with this theoretical underpinning, the major focus of this present study is to unearth particular independent strategies employed by two invited EFL teachers in maintaining their resilience, particularly while being exposed to adverse working conditions and unpredictable stress events. Thus, the results obtained from these two invited participants will shed a new light regarding a set of rewarding independent strategies incorporated by EFL teachers in preserving their resilience amid taxing working conditions. In light of this matter, the sharing emanated from these research participants will work as a propelling force for global EFL teachers working under arduous teaching dynamics owing to the full activation of their resilience enabling them to stay on the right educational tracks; educating young generations for better future lives.

scholarly journals Self-Positivity or Self-Negativity as a Function of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
Alla Yankouskaya ◽  
Jie Sui
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Mechanisms

Self and emotions are key motivational factors of a person strivings for health and well-being. Understanding neural mechanisms supporting the relationship between these factors bear far-reaching implications for mental health disorders. Recent work indicates a substantial overlap between self-relevant and emotion information processing and has proposed the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) as one shared neural signature. However, the precise cognitive and neural mechanisms represented by the MPFC in investigations of self- and emotion-related processing are largely unknown. Here we examined whether the neural underpinnings of self-related processing in the MPFC link to positive or negative emotions. We collected fMRI data to test the distinct and shared neural circuits of self- and emotion-related processing while participants performed personal (self, friend, or stranger) and emotion (happy, sad, or neutral) associative matching tasks. By exploiting tight control over the factors that determine the effects of self-relevance and emotions (positive: Happy vs. neutral; negative: Sad vs. neutral), our univariate analysis revealed that the ventral part of the MPFC (vmPFC), which has established involvement in self-prioritisation effects, was not recruited in the negative emotion prioritisation effect. In contrast, there were no differences in brain activity between the effects of positive emotion- and self-prioritisation. These results were replicated by both region of interest (ROI)-based analysis in the vmPFC and the seed- to voxel functional connectivity analysis between the MPFC and the rest of the brain. The results suggest that the prioritisation effects for self and positive emotions are tightly linked together, and the MPFC plays a large role in discriminating between positive and negative emotions in relation to self-relevance.

scholarly journals Perceived facial happiness during conversation correlates with insular and hypothalamus activity for humans, not robots. An investigation of the somatic marker hypothesis applied to social interactions.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Chaminade ◽  
Nicolas Spatola
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autonomous Nervous System ◽  
Somatic Marker ◽  
Somatic Marker Hypothesis ◽  
The Right ◽  
Marker Hypothesis

The somatic marker hypothesis posits that perceiving emotions entails reenacting markers of self emotions, in particular in the autonomous nervous system. Well studied in decision-making tasks, it has not been tested in a social cognitive neuroscience framework, and in particular for the automatic processing of positive emotions during natural interactions. Here, we address this question using a unique corpus of brain activity recorded during unconstrained conversations between participants and a human or a humanoid robot. fMRI recordings are used to test whether activity in the most important brain regions in relation to the autonomic system, the amygdala, hypothalamus and insula, is affected by the level of happiness expressed by the human and robot agents. Results indicate that for the hypothalamus and the insula, in particular the anterior agranular region strongly involved in processing social emotions, activity in the right hemisphere increases with the level of happiness expressed by the human, but not the robot. Results indicate that perceiving positive emotions in social interactions induces the local brain responses predicted by the somatic marker hypothesis, but only when the interacting agent is a real human.

scholarly journals Building Resilience in At-Risk Adolescents: Comparing the mechanisms and outcomes of two school-based prevention programmes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Olivia Susanne Notter
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Based ◽  
Prevention Programmes ◽  
Personal Resilience ◽  
One Year ◽  
At Risk Adolescents

<p>This study sought to confirm and expand literature on psychological health by comparing and contrasting the effects of two prevention programmes, one focused on reducing negative affect and the other focused on enhancing positive affect, and by revealing possible pathways that might lead to increased wellbeing and resilience and reduced negative affect and depressive symptoms.  Two school-based intervention approaches were examined: Kiwi ACE (Adolescents Coping with Emotions) and PAL (Positive Approaches to Life), to investigate which techniques would prevent the occurrence of depression, increase wellbeing, and help build resilience in Year 9 students (13-yr-olds). Kiwi ACE is a programme based on a CBT (Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy) model and was trialled previously with success. PAL kept within the same structure as Kiwi ACE but used strategies aimed at building a capacity within students to develop positive emotions in order to build resources for present and future challenges. Both programmes aimed to build resilience and prevent the development of depression in at-risk adolescents.  Nine schools from the wider Wellington region in New Zealand participated in the current study. Sixty-five students identified as at-risk, participated in one of the two programmes, and 69 students constituted the control group. All students in the current study were at risk of developing depression, pre-intervention, as suggested by a mild-moderate score on the CDI (Children's Depression Inventory). Both programmes consisted of weekly one hour sessions enacted over 12 weeks during which a group of approximately 10 students met with a clinical psychologist and school counsellor. A survey consisting of a range of scales, measured students' scores pre- and post- programme, at six months and one year after the programme was completed.  Kiwi ACE and PAL both decreased depressive symptoms and increased well-being for up to one year after the programme. However, PAL had stronger effects in promoting gratitude, satisfaction with life, happiness, and resilience. Mediation analysis revealed that Kiwi ACE helped to decrease depressive symptoms by increasing students' sense of environmental mastery and increased students' well-being scores by decreasing the intensity and frequency of participants’ negative emotions. In contrast, PAL helped to decrease depressive symptoms, and increase well-being and resilience through many routes, namely through increasing gratitude, meaning, happiness and satisfaction with life.  The findings of this study reveal that building a capacity for positive emotions can help develop many resources that protect students from depressive symptoms and increase their psychological well-being and personal resilience. In addition, using positive emotions as a resource is equally effective as using CBT strategies in preventing depression and is more effective in increasing positive outcomes, including personal resilience. Finally the results from PAL indicate that cultivating positive emotions such as gratitude and happiness is an effective way to build personal resilience in adolescence.</p>

scholarly journals Building Resilience in At-Risk Adolescents: Comparing the mechanisms and outcomes of two school-based prevention programmes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Olivia Susanne Notter
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Based ◽  
Prevention Programmes ◽  
Personal Resilience ◽  
One Year ◽  
At Risk Adolescents

<p>This study sought to confirm and expand literature on psychological health by comparing and contrasting the effects of two prevention programmes, one focused on reducing negative affect and the other focused on enhancing positive affect, and by revealing possible pathways that might lead to increased wellbeing and resilience and reduced negative affect and depressive symptoms.  Two school-based intervention approaches were examined: Kiwi ACE (Adolescents Coping with Emotions) and PAL (Positive Approaches to Life), to investigate which techniques would prevent the occurrence of depression, increase wellbeing, and help build resilience in Year 9 students (13-yr-olds). Kiwi ACE is a programme based on a CBT (Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy) model and was trialled previously with success. PAL kept within the same structure as Kiwi ACE but used strategies aimed at building a capacity within students to develop positive emotions in order to build resources for present and future challenges. Both programmes aimed to build resilience and prevent the development of depression in at-risk adolescents.  Nine schools from the wider Wellington region in New Zealand participated in the current study. Sixty-five students identified as at-risk, participated in one of the two programmes, and 69 students constituted the control group. All students in the current study were at risk of developing depression, pre-intervention, as suggested by a mild-moderate score on the CDI (Children's Depression Inventory). Both programmes consisted of weekly one hour sessions enacted over 12 weeks during which a group of approximately 10 students met with a clinical psychologist and school counsellor. A survey consisting of a range of scales, measured students' scores pre- and post- programme, at six months and one year after the programme was completed.  Kiwi ACE and PAL both decreased depressive symptoms and increased well-being for up to one year after the programme. However, PAL had stronger effects in promoting gratitude, satisfaction with life, happiness, and resilience. Mediation analysis revealed that Kiwi ACE helped to decrease depressive symptoms by increasing students' sense of environmental mastery and increased students' well-being scores by decreasing the intensity and frequency of participants’ negative emotions. In contrast, PAL helped to decrease depressive symptoms, and increase well-being and resilience through many routes, namely through increasing gratitude, meaning, happiness and satisfaction with life.  The findings of this study reveal that building a capacity for positive emotions can help develop many resources that protect students from depressive symptoms and increase their psychological well-being and personal resilience. In addition, using positive emotions as a resource is equally effective as using CBT strategies in preventing depression and is more effective in increasing positive outcomes, including personal resilience. Finally the results from PAL indicate that cultivating positive emotions such as gratitude and happiness is an effective way to build personal resilience in adolescence.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document