Left frontal hypoactivation in depression

Article Abstract:

Several recent studies have shown that lesions in the left hemisphere of the brain are associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety and related symptoms than lesions in the right hemisphere, which are associated with indifference and joking. Not all patients with left hemisphere lesions suffer depression, however, suggesting that damage in this area is not by itself sufficient to produce dysfunction. The present study hypothesized that left frontal brain lesions or naturally occurring dysfunction in this area increases an individual's vulnerability to depression in the presence of a requisite environmental stressor. That is, if stressor X causes depression in some people, someone with left frontal hemisphere damage or naturally occurring dysfunction in the area has a greater risk of becoming depressed after experiencing X. Fifteen clinically depressed subjects and 13 control subjects underwent electroencephalography (EEG; recordings of the electrical activities in the brain) before and after viewing a series of emotion-eliciting film clips. Subjects also rated their emotional experiences during each film. Depressed subjects demonstrated decreased activation of the left, frontal hemisphere during the film clips compared with normal subjects. The differences were unrelated to sociodemographic factors or to medication, which some depressives were receiving. Further, the differences were not related to severity of depression. It is proposed that naturally-occurring or lesion-induced hypoactivation of the left frontal hemisphere of the brain is a marker of vulnerability for affective disorders. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk factors, Brain Injuries

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Patterns of perceptual asymmetry in depression and anxiety: implications for neuropsychological models of emotion and psychopathology

Article Abstract:

Differences in perceptual asymmetry patterns for the right parietotemporal region of the brain in individuals suffering from depression and anxiety were studied. Results revealed highly divergent hemispatial biases between depressed and anxious individuals on tasks known to be sensitive to the right hemisphere's parietotemporal region. Left hemispatial biases were greater in low-depressed and high-anxious subjects and lower in high-depressed and low-anxious subjects, demonstrating that asymmetric hemispheric function patterns differ in depression and anxiety.

Research, Anxiety, Neuropsychology

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Ethnicity and gender in scales of psychosis proneness and mood disorders

Article Abstract:

Analysis of the survey data for Asian American, African American and Latino college students at risk for psychological disorders using various psychopathology scales shows clear ethnic differences in all the scales with Caucasian samples always giving the lowest average scores validating previous studies. The gender effects on the Dysthymia scale, the Chapman scale and the Hypomania & Biphasic scale are assessed, and the effects due to other ethnic groups are discussed.

Demographic aspects, Surveys, Affective disorders, Mood disorders, Ethnic groups, Psychological research, Ethnopsychology, Cross-cultural psychology

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