Decoding Emotion in Drug Abusers: Evidence for Face and Body Emotion Recognition and for Disgust Emotion

Background: Different drugs damage the frontal cortices, particularly the prefrontal areas involved in both emotional and cognitive functions, with a consequence of decoding emotion deficits for people with substance abuse. The present study aims to explore the cognitive impairments in drug abusers through facial, body and disgust emotion recognition, expanding the investigation of emotions, processing, measuring accuracy and response velocity. Method: We enrolled 13 addicted to cocaine and 12 alcohol patients attending treatment services in Italy, comparing them with 33 matched controls. Facial emotion and body posture recognition tasks, a disgust rating task, and the Barrat Impulsivity Scale were included in the experimental assessment. Results: We found that emotional processes are differently influenced by cocaine and alcohol, suggesting that these substances impact diverse cerebral systems. Conclusion: The contribution made by the duration of consumption on emotional processing seems far less important than for cognitive processes. Drug abusers seem to be slower on elaboration of emotions and, in particular, of disgust emotion. Considering that the participants were not impaired in cognition, our data support the hypothesis that emotional impairments emerge independently from damage to cognitive functions.

Download Full-text

Human Capacities for Emotion Recognition and their Implications for Computer Vision

i-com ◽

10.1515/icom-2015-0032 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 126-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Benny Liebold ◽

René Richter ◽

Michael Teichmann ◽

Fred H. Hamker ◽

Peter Ohler

Keyword(s):

Emotion Recognition ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Affective Computing ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Connectivity Pattern ◽

Motor Patterns ◽

Emotional Processes ◽

Current State ◽

Amygdala Activity ◽

Cortical Involvement

AbstractCurrent models for automated emotion recognition are developed under the assumption that emotion expressions are distinct expression patterns for basic emotions. Thereby, these approaches fail to account for the emotional processes underlying emotion expressions. We review the literature on human emotion processing and suggest an alternative approach to affective computing. We postulate that the generalizability and robustness of these models can be greatly increased by three major steps: (1) modeling emotional processes as a necessary foundation of emotion recognition; (2) basing models of emotional processes on our knowledge about the human brain; (3) conceptualizing emotions based on appraisal processes and thus regarding emotion expressions as expressive behavior linked to these appraisals rather than fixed neuro-motor patterns. Since modeling emotional processes after neurobiological processes can be considered a long-term effort, we suggest that researchers should focus on early appraisals, which evaluate intrinsic stimulus properties with little higher cortical involvement. With this goal in mind, we focus on the amygdala and its neural connectivity pattern as a promising structure for early emotional processing. We derive a model for the amygdala-visual cortex circuit from the current state of neuroscientific research. This model is capable of conditioning visual stimuli with body reactions to enable rapid emotional processing of stimuli consistent with early stages of psychological appraisal theories. Additionally, amygdala activity can feed back to visual areas to modulate attention allocation according to the emotional relevance of a stimulus. The implications of the model considering other approaches to automated emotion recognition are discussed.

Download Full-text

Facial Expression Processing of Children Orphaned by Parental HIV/AIDS: A Cross-Sectional ERP Study with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18199995 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (19) ◽

pp. 9995

Author(s):

Qi Zhao ◽

Hui He ◽

Huang Gu ◽

Junfeng Zhao ◽

Peilian Chi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Recognition ◽

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Visual Presentation ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Control Group ◽

Aids Orphans ◽

Hiv Aids

Existing behavioral studies have suggested that individuals with early life stress usually show abnormal emotional processing. However, limited event-related brain potentials (ERPs) evidence was available to explore the emotional processes in children orphaned by parental HIV/AIDS (“AIDS orphans”). The current study aims to investigate whether there are behavioral and neurological obstacles in the recognition of emotional faces in AIDS orphans and also to further explore the processing stage at which the difference in facial emotion recognition exists. A total of 81 AIDS orphans and 60 non-orphan children were recruited through the local communities and school systems in Henan, China. Participants completed a computer version of the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task while recording ERPs. Behavioral results showed that orphans displayed higher response accuracy and shorter reaction time than the control (ps < 0.05). As for the ERPs analysis, the attenuated amplitude of N170 (i.e., an early component sensitive to facial configuration) was observed in AIDS orphans compared to the non-orphan control with happy and neutral faces; P300 (i.e., an endogenous component for affective valence evaluation in emotional processing) also showed significant differences in parietal lobe between groups, the non-orphan control group produced larger P300 amplitudes than orphans (p < 0.05). The results suggested that compared to the control group, AIDS orphans showed impaired facial emotion recognition ability with reduced brain activation.

Download Full-text

Facial Sadness Recognition is Modulated by Estrogen Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Healthy Females

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci8120219 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 219 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mayra Gutiérrez-Muñoz ◽

Martha Fajardo-Araujo ◽

Erika González-Pérez ◽

Victor Aguirre-Arzola ◽

Silvia Solís-Ortiz

Keyword(s):

Estrogen Receptor ◽

Response Time ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Receptor Gene ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

The Impact

Polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor ESR1 and ESR2 genes have been linked with cognitive deficits and affective disorders. The effects of these genetic variants on emotional processing in females with low estrogen levels are not well known. The aim was to explore the impact of the ESR1 and ESR2 genes on the responses to the facial emotion recognition task in females. Postmenopausal healthy female volunteers were genotyped for the polymorphisms Xbal and PvuII of ESR1 and the polymorphism rs1256030 of ESR2. The effect of these polymorphisms on the response to the facial emotion recognition of the emotions happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, surprise, and fear was analyzed. Females carrying the P allele of the PvuII polymorphism or the X allele of the Xbal polymorphism of ESR1 easily recognized facial expressions of sadness that were more difficult for the women carrying the p allele or the x allele. They displayed higher accuracy, fast response time, more correct responses, and fewer omissions to complete the task, with a large effect size. Women carrying the ESR2 C allele of ESR2 showed a faster response time for recognizing facial expressions of anger. These findings link ESR1 and ESR2 polymorphisms in facial emotion recognition of negative emotions.

Download Full-text

Facial Emotion Recognition Impairment in Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Isolated Apathy

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.4061/2010/930627 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mercè Martínez-Corral ◽

Javier Pagonabarraga ◽

Gisela Llebaria ◽

Berta Pascual-Sedano ◽

Carmen García-Sánchez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Executive Dysfunction ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Affective Processing ◽

Affective Disturbances

Apathy is a frequent feature of Parkinson's disease (PD), usually related with executive dysfunction. However, in a subgroup of PD patients apathy may represent the only or predominant neuropsychiatric feature. To understand the mechanisms underlying apathy in PD, we investigated emotional processing in PD patients with and without apathy and in healthy controls (HC), assessed by a facial emotion recognition task (FERT). We excluded PD patients with cognitive impairment, depression, other affective disturbances and previous surgery for PD. PD patients with apathy scored significantly worse in the FERT, performing worse in fear, anger, and sadness recognition. No differences, however, were found between nonapathetic PD patients and HC. These findings suggest the existence of a disruption of emotional-affective processing in cognitive preserved PD patients with apathy. To identify specific dysfunction of limbic structures in PD, patients with isolated apathy may have therapeutic and prognostic implications.

Download Full-text

Facial emotion recognition performance influences executive control impairment in Anorexia Nervosa: an exploratory study

Global Psychiatry ◽

10.2478/gp-2018-0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 53-60

Author(s):

Giuseppe Carrà ◽

Giulia Brambilla ◽

Manuela Caslini ◽

Francesca Parma ◽

Alessandro Chinello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Recognition ◽

Executive Control ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

A Priori ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Eating Disorder Examination ◽

Recognition Ability

AbstractObjectivesSince evidence on executive control among women with Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa (AN/BN) are somehow inconclusive, we aimed to explore whether performance in set-shifting in AN/BN might be influenced by Facial Emotion Recognition (FER).MethodsWe randomly recruited women with a diagnosis of AN or BN, from an Eating Disorders Outpatient Clinic in Italy, as well as healthy controls (HCs). We evaluated with established tools: diagnosis (Eating Disorder Examination- EDE-17.0), executive control (Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift-IED) and FER (Ekman 60 Faces Test-EK-60F). Univariate distributions by diagnostic subgroups were assessed on sociodemographic and clinical variables, which were selected for subsequent multiple linear regression analyses.ResultsWomen with AN performed significantly worse than HCs on IED adjusted total errors. HCs scored significantly better than AN and BN on EK-60F fear subscale. Although IED set shifting was associated (p = 0.008) with AN, after controlling for age, EK-60F fear subscale, alexithymia and depression (i.e., clinically relevant covariates identified a priori from the literature, or associated with AN/BN at univariate level), this association could not be confirmed.ConclusionsImpaired executive control may not be a distinctive feature in women with AN, since several clinical characteristics, including fear recognition ability, are likely to have an important role. This has significant implications for relevant interventions in AN, which should aim at also improving socio-emotional processing.

Download Full-text

Intensity-dependent facial emotion recognition and cognitive functions in Parkinson’s disease

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617710000755 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 867-876 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

FRANCESCA ASSOGNA ◽

FRANCESCO E. PONTIERI ◽

LUCA CRAVELLO ◽

ANTONELLA PEPPE ◽

MARIANGELA PIERANTOZZI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

High Intensity ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Neural Pathways ◽

Low Intensity

AbstractPatients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) frequently display non-motor symptoms. In this study, we investigated intensity-dependent facial emotion recognition in patients with PD and healthy controls (HC), matched for age, gender, and education, and its relationship to individual cognitive domains. Seventy patients with PD and 70 HC were submitted to a clinical, neuropsychological, and psychopathological evaluation. Facial emotion recognition performance was assessed using the Penn Emotion Recognition Test (PERT). The patients with PD recognized fewer low- and high-intensity facial expressions of disgust than HC. This effect was selective, because their global ability to recognize emotions was intact. Both patients with PD and HC recognized high-intensity better than low-intensity emotions, except for disgust, which was recognized better at low intensity. In the patients with PD, overall facial emotion recognition and selective disgust recognition performances were related to deficits in many neuropsychological domains (verbal and visuo-spatial memory, attention, praxis, and verbal fluency). The ability to recognize emotions is a complex cognitive process requiring the integrity of several functions. Therefore, it is likely that structural or functional derangement of the discrete neural pathways involved in these cognitive functions in patients with PD makes it difficult for them to recognize emotions expressed by others. (JINS, 2010, 16, 867–876.)

Download Full-text

Facial Emotion Recognition and Emotional Memory From the Ovarian-Hormone Perspective: A Systematic Review

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.641250 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Dali Gamsakhurdashvili ◽

Martin I. Antov ◽

Ursula Stockhorst

Keyword(s):

Menstrual Cycle ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Emotional Memory ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Ovarian Hormone ◽

Complex Emotions ◽

Hormone Status ◽

Emotion Type

BackgroundWe review original papers on ovarian-hormone status in two areas of emotional processing: facial emotion recognition and emotional memory. Ovarian-hormone status is operationalized by the levels of the steroid sex hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), fluctuating over the natural menstrual cycle and suppressed under oral contraceptive (OCs) use. We extend previous reviews addressing single areas of emotional processing. Moreover, we systematically examine the role of stimulus features such as emotion type or stimulus valence and aim at elucidating factors that reconcile the inconsistent results.MethodsWe followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and included papers published until September 2020 indexed in PubMed and Web of Science databases. Search terms were MeSH terms (emotional OR emotion) AND (X) AND (estrogen OR progesterone OR menstrual cycle OR oral contraceptives) with (X) representing our separately searched areas, resulting in (processing OR recognition OR empathy), and (memory OR recall). To be included, articles had to (1) be written and published in English, (2) examine healthy, non-pregnant adult women in their reproductive age, and (3) measure or at least estimate levels of E2 and P4. In PubMed, the search was (4) limited to humans and (5) to the search term present in the title or abstract.ResultsFeatures of the provided stimulus material (emotion type and/or valence) constitute a relevant influence that interacts with E2- and P4-related ovarian-hormone status. For instance, recognition of basic emotions appears to be more related to P4- than E2-levels. Quite consistent, OC intake (vs. natural menstrual cycling) was accompanied by impaired recognition accuracy of basic and also complex emotions, although not in a recent large-sample study assessing complex emotions. Memory recall of negative content was mainly enhanced by P4, especially after having been stressed.Discussion and ConclusionWe document the methodological diversity in the field, presumably contributing to the heterogeneity of results. More studies explicitly contrasting the early follicular phase, mid-cycle phase, mid-luteal, and OC intake while standardizing tasks are needed. Research would take advantage of using within-subject designs and accounting for the recognition of complex emotions.

Download Full-text

Beeinträchtigtes Erkennen emotionaler Gesichtsausdrücke durch psychiatrische Patientinnen bei Alexithymie

Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie Psychologie und Psychotherapie ◽

10.1024/1661-4747/a000135 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 7-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Daniel Dittrich ◽

Gregor Domes ◽

Susi Loebel ◽

Christoph Berger ◽

Carsten Spitzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Recognition ◽

Emotional Expression ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Check List ◽

Psychosomatische Erkrankungen ◽

Psychiatrische Patienten ◽

Symptom Check List ◽

Tas 20

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Hypothese eines mit Alexithymie assoziierten Defizits beim Erkennen emotionaler Gesichtsaudrücke an einer klinischen Population. Darüber hinaus werden Hypothesen zur Bedeutung spezifischer Emotionsqualitäten sowie zu Gender-Unterschieden getestet. 68 ambulante und stationäre psychiatrische Patienten (44 Frauen und 24 Männer) wurden mit der Toronto-Alexithymie-Skala (TAS-20), der Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Scale (MADRS), der Symptom-Check-List (SCL-90-R) und der Emotional Expression Multimorph Task (EEMT) untersucht. Als Stimuli des Gesichtererkennungsparadigmas dienten Gesichtsausdrücke von Basisemotionen nach Ekman und Friesen, die zu Sequenzen mit sich graduell steigernder Ausdrucksstärke angeordnet waren. Mittels multipler Regressionsanalyse untersuchten wir die Assoziation von TAS-20 Punktzahl und facial emotion recognition (FER). Während sich für die Gesamtstichprobe und den männlichen Stichprobenteil kein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen TAS-20-Punktzahl und FER zeigte, sahen wir im weiblichen Stichprobenteil durch die TAS-20 Punktzahl eine signifikante Prädiktion der Gesamtfehlerzahl (β = .38, t = 2.055, p < 0.05) und den Fehlern im Erkennen der Emotionen Wut und Ekel (Wut: β = .40, t = 2.240, p < 0.05, Ekel: β = .41, t = 2.214, p < 0.05). Für wütende Gesichter betrug die Varianzaufklärung durch die TAS-20-Punktzahl 13.3 %, für angeekelte Gesichter 19.7 %. Kein Zusammenhang bestand zwischen der Zeit, nach der die Probanden die emotionalen Sequenzen stoppten, um ihre Bewertung abzugeben (Antwortlatenz) und Alexithymie. Die Ergebnisse der Arbeit unterstützen das Vorliegen eines mit Alexithymie assoziierten Defizits im Erkennen emotionaler Gesichtsausdrücke bei weiblchen Probanden in einer heterogenen, klinischen Stichprobe. Dieses Defizit könnte die Schwierigkeiten Hochalexithymer im Bereich sozialer Interaktionen zumindest teilweise begründen und so eine Prädisposition für psychische sowie psychosomatische Erkrankungen erklären.

Download Full-text